A Mother's Life Changing Confession
by ComplicatedDreams
Summary: Kagome is a seventeen year old girl whose only care in the world right now is to succeed academically. Little did she now that her mom was about to change her life radically by asking her secret boyfriend and his handsome son to move in with them.
1. A Mother's Life Changing Confession

Chapter 1

**Chapter 1/A Mother's Life-Changing Confession**

She finally told me about him two weeks ago, during her birthday dinner. She purposely waited until that night to throw this bomb at me, knowing that I would not do much to make her feel guilty on her day. I am, unfortunately, too much of a good daughter.

I knew something was up the moment she told me we would be having dinner at 'Adelais', the fanciest restaurant in Tokyo at the moment. My mom has a lot of money, but also a great appetite, so it was suspicious that my mom would decide to go to a place were they give you tiny amounts of food.

The waiter showed us our table, which was beautifully set with candles, flowers, and exquisite dishes and wine glasses. My mom ordered some nice red wine and served both of us. The people sitting next to us, a couple probably in their 60s, looked at her disapprovingly, having easily realized that I was too young to drink (Drinking age 20).

"Keep staring, please! I REALLY enjoy it!" my mom said to them, a little too loudly for my taste. Once the old couple resumed minding their own business, and all the heads that had turned to look at my loud mother turned back to where they belonged, my mom thought it was time to focus on me.

"So, honey, how do you like this place? Really nice, isn't it?" She said, still wearing that fake huge smile she always uses to try to hide an upsetting truth. It had been on since this morning, and I was getting tired of her dishonesty. It was time to make her talk. I took a deep breath. Showtime!

"Yeah, it really is." I answered smiling, but then I continued talking in a more serious tone. "What isn't that nice is the fact that you've been hiding something from me. And it must be something big too. I mean, you could eat a horse and still be hungry, so coming to a place where they give you a tablespoon worth of food per course, must have been for the solely purpose of making me happy so I wouldn't be as upset after you told me what you are hiding. Don't get me wrong, I love being here and I thank you for it, but I know you have to tell me something important, so don't wait any longer and just tell me."

With that I laid back on my seat and crossed my arms. I looked at my mom reassuringly, and waited for her to talk. She was looking down and fidgeting with the sleeves of her black cocktail dress for over two minutes before she finally gathered the strength to confess.

"I wanted to tell you months ago but I was afraid you would not approve."

"Why wouldn't I approve? Why would I approve now? What has changed? What have you… done?"

"Well… I have been seeing a man for two months…"

"Really?? That's…that's great! I am happy for you!"

"…and a year…"

"What?! A year?! How…?!"

As I yelled my right hand hit my wine glass and the wine tainted my beautiful beige dress burgundy. I quickly excused myself and went to the restroom, locked the door, and laid my back against it. I needed to calm down and think for a few minutes. I was not expecting her to say that. I mean, I though of the possibility of her seeing someone because she is a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman, but I did not expect her to have been with someone for over a year and not telling me about it! To be honest, I wasn't even angry, just very disappointed that she had waited this long to tell me.

My mom and I have always been really close, having only had each other since I was born 17 years ago. I never met my father because he was just a part of a summer romance that ended in disaster. His name was Roman and he lived in France, and at the time, my mom being 23, neither of them could afford to visit each other after the summer ended. Once my mom became a well-known doctor it had been too long (over 10 years) and she was afraid he had forgotten her and decided to just keep the memory of that great summer. When I was 10 she went out with a handsome pilot for six months, but then she discovered that he had a sweetheart in every airport, and she was heartbroken again. This time it was even worse, because she couldn't help remembering again the good times she spent with Roman.

I didn't now if I was ready to handle another heartbroken mother, but after a few minutes pacing in the restroom I felt growing calmer, so I cleaned my dress and got out from the restroom. Suddenly I couldn't wait to ask my mom about him, to see if she was truly happy. I went back to our table and sat down.

"Are you ok honey?" She asked, a worried look on her face.

"Yes, I just had to get clean up a bit. So mom, tell me about him. Is he a frog and that's why you were afraid to tell me? " I wasn't trying to be mean, but I had to get the tension out of my body somehow.

"You know I don't really like frogs… and even less kissing them." Her cheeks turned slightly red. "No, he is actually pretty handsome. His name is Izanagi, he's 43, and he is a chef at a restaurant downtown. He has been divorced for five years and he has a son, Inuyasha, who I think just finished his sophomore year, like you, but at Urayasu High School, in Hiroshima. I am sure you too will get along well. He is really nice and smart… like his dad (sigh)."

"Oh... well, great!" I have always hated it when adults act like teenagers in love, it makes me crazy uncomfortable, but I was glad to see my mom so happy.

"I am happy you see it that way honey!" She paused for a second and then got that worried look back on her face. "Especially because of what I am about to tell you…"

"There are more surprises tonight??" I wasn't sure I would be able to handle much more tonight. "Are you two engaged or something??"

"Oh, no! No, no, no… it is way too early for that!"

I won't lie, I was pretty glad to hear that.

"Then, what is going on?" I was really interested and scared at the same time.

"Well, honey. You see, Izanagi and I have been talking, and we have decided that it is time to take our relationship to the next level."

"Ok…" I was REALLY hoping she wasn't talking about the intimate part of their relationship. She continued:

"We have decided… that we are going to live together!! Isn't that great??" She really looked like a crazy teenager in love right now.

"Does that 'we' include me?" I knew the answer, but I still felt like I needed to ask.

"Of course honey! And it includes Inuyasha too! We have a bigger house and enough space for two more people, so they will be joining our family." She then stopped talking and looked at me, looking for approval. But what could I do? I had never seen her so happy, and seeing her like that made me happy too. Nevertheless, these two men couldn't be bad people if my mom had dated Izanagi for over a year and still was teenager-crazy happy and in love. Welcoming two strangers to my family was a price I was willing to pay to keep our original family as happy as we could be.

"I am happy you two are ready to take your relationship to the next level. And I will support your decision if you are not being forced into it and if it really makes you happy. You can tell me if you don't really want this."

"I do. And I hope this decision will make you happy too. Remember, our family" she pointed at each of us "will always go first."

"I know." I nodded.

I was scared, but I also felt the excitement that comes with doing reckless and hasty things.

"So, when are they moving in?" The excitement took over for a second and I started thinking about how we would arrange our home and what we would need to change to make it work better for the four of us. My mom bit her lower lip and looked down.

"They have almost finished packing, and they have already sold their house. Izanagi said they would probably be coming on Saturday."

"That is five days from now!!" I wished she stopped this game of telling important things one by one.

"I know! Isn't it great?!"

Officially speechless, and feeling like I was about to pass out, I nodded. I definitely was too much of a good daughter.


	2. My New Family of Four

Chapter 2

**My new family of Four**

I was busy working the days prior to their arrival, so I decided that I would wait until Saturday too meet them rather than trying to squish an a couple of hours into my hectic schedule. By Saturday my mom and I had decided to move the things in the studio, which was the room next to mine, downstairs, so Inuyasha could have a bigger bedroom. My mom also bought a bigger bed so she and Izanagi would have more room. On Saturday morning we cleaned the house, then prepared lunch, ate, and finally sat down and watched TV until the bell rang.

My mom jumped up and ran to the door, but I just stayed there. I heard her and a man exchange greetings, and a moment later I heard another male voice. Their voices kept getting closer and so did their footsteps. Finally, I saw my smiling mom come in hand-in-hand with a tall, brown haired, hazel eyed man. His smile was even bigger than my mom's. His eyes set on me and he came towards me. I stood up.

"You must be Kagome!" He said happily as he leaned forward.

"Yep, that's me! Pleased to meet you!" I said as I leaned forward. They were so incredibly happy that I probably looked depressed next to them. I leaned forward too as I greeted him.

"Wow, you definitely got your mother's looks! All the boys at school must be crazy about you." I was getting a bit uncomfortable. "Are there more like you at your school? I need to get Inuyasha a pretty girl. I am getting tired of him being around the house all the time…" He raised his voice when he said the last two sentences and then he stuck his tongue out playfully.

"Well I am sorry I like to spend time at my house!" This was said by who I assumed to be Inuyasha. "But I do like the idea of having a beautiful girl by my side."

He was stunning, probably the sexiest man I had ever seen. He was about 5 inches taller than me and had coal-black hair that went down to his waist. He was very fit, and due to my damn hormones I couldn't stop thinking about what it would feel like to put my hands on his chest and run them along his strong arms. His lips were juicy and his big eyes were to die for. They were of a beautiful amber color which I had never seen before. I could not stop staring at him, and that's when I realized he was looking at me too. I looked the other way and blushed slightly.

"I hope he didn't notice I was checking him out!" I thought.

**Inuyasha's POV**

_Kagome was beautiful. She was wearing a white summer dress that went down to right above her knees. Her raven hair went half way down her back. Her light brown eyes were big, and her long eyelashes made them look sophisticated without the need for messy mascara. Her lips were rosy and juicy and I couldn't stop thinking about what it would feel like to suck and kiss them passionately. Her legs were long and strong, and her breasts were round and perfectly positioned, and I could actually see a little bit of their sides thanks to the triangular shape of the cloth that covered them. It was hard to stop looking at her. Suddenly I noticed she was looking at me too. I said the first thing that came to my mind so she would not realize what I was thinking._

"So Kagome, do you have any cute friends that I could meet?"

"Ah, well… yes, I guess…" I looked at him quizingly. I did not expect him to say that, and for some reason that question bothered me. That's when my mom started talking and we stopped looking at each other.

"So! Let's get you to your rooms guys. Inuyasha, Kagome will show you your room."

"Great, thanks."

"This way." I said as I pointed toward the stairs.

He followed me closely and I could feel his eyes on me. I turned back slightly and saw him staring at my butt.

"Excuse me??"

He looked up at me innocently.

"What?"

"Could you please stop staring at my butt?"

"Well, it is right there. Does it bother you?"

"Well…of course it does! Wouldn't it bother you if it was me looking at your butt?" I regretted saying this the moment it came out of my mouth.

"Why should it bother me? I love my butt. I would stare at it too if I could. Actually, I use the mirror sometimes to make sure it stays nice and sexy."

"Wow, talk about a huge ego." I started going back up the stairs and went into Inuyasha's room.

"This is your room. It used to be the studio, but we thought you would be more comfortable here because it is bigger and you only have to share the bathroom with me." I wasn't sure if he was listening to me.

"Can I get to the roof from here?" His body was halfway out the window.

"Heh? I am not sure… I have never thought about going up there. I would be too worried thinking that I could fall at any second."

"You worry too much then." He was still looking out.

He looked gorgeous next to the window, the sun reflecting in his amber eyes and his long hair soothingly dancing with the wind. It was hard to stop staring. Then he started talking again."

"I like this house. How long have you lived here?"

"Since I was born. My mom lived here with my grandmother since she graduated from college, and she inherited it after grandma died fifteen years ago, when I was two."

"Have you and your mom been by yourselves all this time?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So, are you ok with us moving in all of a sudden? Or are you faking it for our parents' sake?"

"Probably half and half. I guess am glad because it makes my mom happy, but I am also somewhat angry because her decision has changed my life so radically in such a short period of time. I mean, she didn't even tell me that two families of strangers were going to live with us until five days ago!" My face was a little red with frustration.

"Yeah, I know. I asked them to tell you a while ago but they were too scared. They thought you would hate them or something."

"When did they tell you?"

"Five months ago. We wouldn't have had time to pack everything otherwise."

"And when did you find out about their relationship??"

"Probably about… 10 months ago. I guess that at that point they had gotten pretty tired of making up excuses and sleeping in hotels, so they decided to use my house as their love nest. They were so nervous when they told me. At they end they were like 'we are sooooo happy you understand!!' It was pretty disturbing and hilarious at the same time."

"Ten months…" I couldn't believe it. "Seriously?! And why would you understand and not me?! Do I look like I would easily break like glass?!" I was looking down, and some tears had formed in my eyes. I felt stupid crying in front of a guy I just met, but I couldn't help it. Everyone living at my house thought I was weak and talked about me behind my back.

Just then I felt Inuyasha moving towards me, and about ten seconds later he was right in front of me. He was so close to me I could feel his breath on my forehead. I looked up and he looked straight into my eyes.

"On the contrary, I think you are a tough girl. A little bit whiny but considering that they told you five days ago I think you are doing pretty ok." He smiled as he said this. My knees felt weak and I could have melted.

Suddenly, he stepped back. He looked at me one last time and then went around me and towards the door. From the hallway, with his back facing me, he talked again.

"We should go down and help our parents. There is a lot to unpack." And with that said he started going down the stairs.

"Wow… This is definitely going to be an interesting year." I thought before heading downstairs as well.


	3. High School

Chapter 3/High School

**Chapter 3/High School**

The first weekend for our family of four was pretty uneventful. Inuyasha and his dad spent both Saturday and Sunday unpacking, and stopped only to have lunch and dinner with my mom and me. Those four meals were basically used to interrogate me about my life. And, even though my mom was the only one who hadn't just met me, she seemed to enjoy asking questions more than anyone. She went from 'how was your day?', to ' how is school going?', to 'how do you like that cute guy in your math class?'. Izanagi asked some questions too, but they were about what I like to do, where I hang out with my friends, and if I like school. He was doing this mainly to try to help Inuyasha adapt to his new life more easily, because tomorrow was his first day at my high school. Inuyasha did not look worried at all though. He was just looking at whoever was talking, and answered some questions from my mom and his dad, such as 'what would you like to do tomorrow?' or 'do you want us to drive you to school?'. Any too personal questions such as 'how do you feel about starting school tomorrow?' or 'are you worried?' he avoided completely, and I didn't get to learn much about him either day.

**Ring, Ring, Ring…**

Monday morning came and I woke up to the annoying sound of my alarm.

"I hate Mondays…" I looked at my clock. It was seven o'clock. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. At least today I would be able to see my best friend Sango. She had been away the whole three-day weekend, and I was working like crazy, so we hadn't seen each other for over three days. That was A LOT for us. We've probably spent 12 hours together and on the phone everyday since we got into middle school. And most importantly right now, she has always helped me survive Mondays.

I put my hair up in a bun and went downstairs into the dinning room wearing my tight black tank top and pink pajama shorts, which I loved and my mom hated, as she thought they were too short and inappropriate. I heard noise coming from the kitchen so I headed there to greet my mom and have some breakfast.

"Good morning…" I said this still half asleep when I entered the room.

"Hey sleepy head"

"Heh?"

Then it hit me. Inuyasha… I still hadn't gotten used to him living at my house. Also, today I would probably have to help him get around school. Aghhh… He smiled at me for a couple of seconds and then got serious as he… looked at my outfit very attentively. Quickly I got an apple from the bowl on the kitchen counter and got out of there. I went to the living room and sat down on the couch, turned on the TV, and began eating my apple.

"What are you watching?" Inuyasha had walked in shortly after me with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was wearing a red short-sleeved t-shirt, long, black, washed jeans and black sneakers. Damn! Why did he have to be so hot??

"Spongebob"

"Do you actually like that show?"

"Not that much, but it is more entertaining than any other show that is on at seven-twenty in the morning."

"Ah" As if I wasn't uncomfortable enough due to my clothing, he sat down next to me. A few minutes went by and we said nothing. Even though I tried to keep looking at the TV, curiosity eventually won the battle and I slightly turned my head to look at him. He was staring at my almost –completely-bare legs. Just then he talked.

"Do you play any sports?"

"Volleyball… How do you know?"

"I can tell by your legs that you exercise a decent amount."

"Ah… Well, yeah. We have a two-hour practice every weekday after school and we play with other schools every other week. Are you planning on joining a team?"

"I might. I played basketball at my old high school. I was pretty good actually."

"Well, we have one of the best teams in Japan. You might be surprised."

"We'll see."

Half an hour later I went upstairs and got dressed. I chose to wear a violet shoulderless shirt and a lavender tank top underneath. I also wore very short, dark blue jeans and violet flip flops, and I used a lavender bow as a headband. I picked up my bag pack and went downstairs.

"Inuyasha?"

"He's gone already dear." My mom said from the dining room, were she was drinking coffee.

"Why so early?"

"He said he wanted to get there early to get his schedule and find his classroom."

"Ok. Well, see you later mom!"

"Have a good day dear."

"I guess he doesn't need any help from me after all." I thought. I started walking towards school.

**School Yard**

"Kagome!"

"Hey Sango!"

Sango has been my best friend since preschool. She is a beautiful person in the inside and in the outside, and I love her like a sister. She is smart and funny, and has always been there for me. She has dark brown hair that had always been really long until she cut it this summer, and it has been down to her shoulders since then. She also has light brown eyes and a beautiful figure. Many guys at our school have a crush on her, but she has always turned down those who dared ask her out. This wasn't always the case. All throughout middle school Sango was the fat kid and the main target of teasing and laughs. During the summer and our first semester of high school, which she skipped because she spent it traveling with her mom, she lost a bunch of weight, and all those who had hurt her in the past became jealous of her new-found beauty when she came back. However, she still has relatively low self-esteem, and she doesn't usually trust any boys who show an interest in her. Today she was wearing a simple purple summer dress that went down to her knees and purple flats with a small white flower decorating the front, and she looked beautiful.

"So, how was your first weekend with your new family?"

"Fine, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Yeah, I mean, they are nice people, and mom is happy. I will get used to it soon, hopefully, because it is really awkward to forget every morning about them and then be startled by Inuyasha while still wearing my pajamas, which my mom has already labeled as inappropriate."

"You mean those pink shorts? Wow, even I get turned on when I see you in those. Did you make the poor guy faint or something?" She joked.

"Shut up."

"So, how do you like this Inuyasha? Are you behaving like you've always been brother and sister yet?"

"I don't think that will ever happen."

"Why?"

"Well, first of all we are too old for that. Second of all, how are we ever going to be like brother and sister if one of his hobbies is to look at my ass and bare legs? And third of all… how are we ever going to be like brother and sister if I can't stop thinking about how hot he is?"

"So we are going to have yet another popular guy around, heh?"

"Hopefully not. I don't want to live with someone who has sex or even talks to that slut Chiyo."

"That would be bad."

"Uh-huh."

"So… you REALLY like to your new 'step brother'… if you know what I mean."

"I do not."

"But you said you can't stop thinking about his hotness."

"That doesn't mean that I 'like him, like him'. I think that Nobu from class 4a is hot, but I don't ever think about…doing him…"

"I am sooo convinced… and I can't believe you said 'doing him.'" She giggled. Sango always did this when I said things related to sex or when our friends Yuka, Ayumi and Eri told us about their experiences. She continued. "So, do you like him as a person? Like, is he nice?"

"Yeah, he is nice, a little too full of himself, but nice enough."

"I can't wait to meet him." Sango smiled happily.

"You will as soon as we get to class. C'mon we are going to be late!" I started running towards the school building and Sango followed behind.

"I am coming!" She said.

**Classroom 3B**

It was the fourth week of school, therefore most students were still paying more attention to their new and old friends than to their homework, so when Sango and I came in most students in classroom 3b were trying to copy from other people the work they hadn't done over the weekend. Among the different groups of people there was one that was much bigger than any other.

"Hey Yuka, what is going on over there?" Sango asked our friend Yuka, who we had known since sixth grade. She was doing homework on her desk next to Eri and Ayumi. We always sat together and usually passed notes among each other instead of listening to the teacher.

"There is a new, and really hot, guy. He has been assaulted by those hyenas since he walked in." She said this while still looking at the incomplete page in front of her. "Actually, if I wasn't so worried about finishing this freaking homework I would be there drooling over him too."

"Really? Let's take a look then Kagome." Sango pulled my arm towards the loud group of hormonal girls. "I can't really see… Excuse me, could you move?? Thanks…Wait, I see him now! Kagome look! He really is cute!"

I looked in the direction Sango was pointing at, and there he was: Inuyasha. All of a sudden he caught sight of me and started waving.

"Hey, Kagome! I was afraid you wouldn't make it to school on time!"

All the girls turned their heads and focused on me. They looked jealous and very furious.

"Yeah…" I stepped back and walked over to my desk, sat down, and looked through my bag pack, getting out the books I would need for this class. Then the bell rang and the math teacher, Mr. Myoga, came in.

"Hello everyone" He said. Mr. Myoga was about 65 years old. He was five feet tall, had gray hair, and wore old fashioned clothing. He also had this monotone voice which made you want to go to sleep the moment you heard the first syllable.

"Today I got a note from the headmaster saying that there is a new student joining us. Inuyasha Tokushima…?"

"Here!" Inuyasha said this from a desk in the back of the room, where the group of hyenas had taken him, so he would still be close to them as they sat at their desks.

"Oh, could you come to the front of the classroom and introduce yourself?"

Inuyasha did as he was told.

"Hello, my name is Inuyasha. I just moved with my dad from Hiroshima, where I attended Urayasu High School, and I now live with him, his girlfriend, and her daughter."

"Ohhh... It's going to be so awkward, and possibly violent, when people find out the daughter it's me!" I thought.

"Any questions for Inuyasha?" Mr. Myoga asked.

Almost all the girls raised their hands.

"Uminako!"

"You have a nice body… Do you play any sports?"

"I used to play basketball at my old high school."

"Could you ask more serious questions please? Sariaki!"

"Are you single?" All the girls giggled.

"…Yes…" He smirked as he said that.

"Seriously, think using your mind and not… anyway... Asikama!"

"Are you interested in someone?"

"…Maybe…" The girls giggled louder.

I thought I saw Inuyasha look at me when he said that. But that couldn't be possible. It would be weird. We are like step-siblings. I looked away from where he was and started writing the date on my notebook.

"Hey Kagome" Sango whispered from the desk to my right "Inuyasha totally looked at you when he said that. Don't tell me you didn't notice."

"Well… No, I didn't. You must've imagined it."

"I did not… You saw it." Sango murmured this last part.

"Ok, that's enough questioning. Inuyasha" Mr. Myoga said, "Where would you like to sit? Choose freely. I think it would be nice to change the sitting arrangement a bit. Some people talk too much."

"Ummm… Let's see" He walked around the classroom and stopped next to my desk. "I would like to sit here" he pointed to the desk to my left, where this guy named Hukoru was sitting.

"Sure. Hukoru, please take a seat next to Linian." Hukoru complained low enough so Mr. Myoga wouldn't hear it and moved. "Ok class let's begin. Open chapter three."

Inuyasha sat and put his notebook, textbook, and pencils on his desk. I had been staring at him since he stopped next to me. He really was gorgeous. His pants made his ass look amazing and I had the urge to reach out and feel it. Of course, I repressed that urge. When he sat down I could see the outline of his face, and how his lips moved when…

"Kagome!"

"Eh?"

"Do you have a pencil sharpener?"

"Oh, yeah" I got my pencil sharpener and gave it to him. "Here."

"Thanks. Now, pay attention. The teacher is talking." He smiled, winked, and then looked forward.

I stared at him for a bit and then did the same. Boy was Mr. Myoga boring.

**Lunch Time**

As usual I sat to eat lunch with my friends Sango, Yuka, Eri, Ayumi, Miroku, and Koga, my ex-boyfriend. A few tables over sat the hyenas surrounding Inuyasha.

"Who is that guy anyway?" Koga asked.

"He is living with Kagome." Ayumi said.

"What?! Why?! What's going on Kagome?" Koga had stood up and was talking loudly.

"It is not like it sounds. Our parents are going out and they recently decided to move in together, so he is like… my roommate."

"A really hot roommate…" Eri added.

"Do you think he is hot Kagome?" Koga usually got really annoying when he was jealous.

"C'mon Koga, drop it and calm down." He sat down but his face was still slightly reddish.

"That's not an answer."

"He's right Kags, you didn't answer." A voice behind me said.

"Hi! You must be Inuyasha!" Sango, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi said in unison.

"I see you heard about me. Does Kags talk about me a lot?"

"We've actually heard more from your fans over there."

"Oh, yeah. They are cute." Inuyasha smirked.

"They are." Miroku added while looking at them and drooling.

"So, let's talk about something else. You guys haven't introduced yourselves."

"Right! I'm Miroku."

"I'm Sango."

"Ayumi."

"Yuka! It's sooo nice to meet you!"

"And I am Eri"

"Nice to meet you all. And, who are you?" He was talking to Koga. He said nothing.

"This is Koga. Don't mind him he is just jealous because you are living with Kagome." Eri said

"Shut up."

"Well, it's true." She raised her hands in defense. "You wanna sit with us Inuyasha?"

"Sure." He took a sit in between me and Eri.

"Then I am leaving." Koga rose and left.

"Was it really the fact that Kagome and I live in the same house which made him so mad?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, Kagome and Koga went out a year ago, and he is still crazy about her because she dumped him. He hates everyone who he thinks has a better chance of having her than him"

"Yuka, stop it!" I wouldn't be able to eat in peace today.

"He asked!"

"He didn't need such a specific answer!"

"Fine! Let's talk about something else. So boring…"

**Back Home**

"Hey kids! How was school?" Izanagi and my mom asked.

"Fine" We said in unison and we headed upstairs towards our rooms.

"Hey dear, why do kids have to answer that every single time they are asked?"

"Maybe we ask that question too much?"

"Nah!" They said, and then got back to what they were doing.

I was upstairs about to open the door to my room when Inuyasha talked from next to his own door.

"So, what is your answer?"

"My answer to what?

"Koga's question."

"Which ques…?" Oh no. The memory of Koga asking me and Inuyasha listening behind me came back to me and I freaked out.

"I knew you would remember such an important question. So?"

I was frozen. I couldn't think, I couldn't talk… and I couldn't run, because that would mean admitting that I do think he is hot. I had to say something… anything.

"You're my brother!" I opened the door and quickly went into my room. It wasn't a direct yes or no but I didn't hear any steps for a bit so I knew Inuyasha was shocked enough by my answer to freeze like I did before. About twenty seconds later I finally heard him walk into his room and shut the door.


	4. The Price Of Denial

**Author's notes**

Sorry for taking sooo long. I didn't have my computer for a long time so I wasn't able to continue until now.

**Chapter 4/The Price Of Denial**

'I can't believe you said that to him!' This was the fifth time Sango had repeated this exact same sentence out loud in the last half an hour. She had been pacing around her room looking deep in thought for even longer, since I had arrived in her house unexpectedly almost an hour ago and told her about the incident.

_**About Two Hours Before**_

Once in my room, right after the awkward conversation with Inuyasha, I quickly gathered my school books and some clothes, and threw them in my yellow bag pack. I peeked into the hallway to make sure I wouldn't bump into Inuyasha and quietly went in search of either my mom or Izanagi downstairs. I was so eager to leave the house that I didn't notice someone was coming up the stairs as I was coming down. At least this someone _was_ thinking straight and managed not to fall and at the same time keep me from falling on my ass.

'Wow! You've got to be more careful little lady! ' Said Izanagi smiling.

'Seriously, do you ever stop smiling?' I thought, 'And when will you drop that _little lady_ nickname it's so infuriating.' Of course what actually came out of my mouth was nothing of this nature.

'I will try… Thanks for catching me.' I said. I hurriedly passed him and started heading for the door, but then turned around again when I remembered why I had run down the stairs looking for an adult in the first place. 'Oh! Izanagi?'

'Yes?'

'I would like to spend the night over at Sango's if that is ok with you and mom.'

'Well, it is ok with me, and probably with your mom, as long as Sango's mother is ok with it too.'

'She is. I called her a little bit ago.' I lied. Sango's mother had told me years ago that I never, _ever_, needed to call her first to ask permission to go see _the girls_. That is what she liked to call Sango and herself. Yasu, Sango's mom, was an extremely nice, outgoing and energetic woman (quite opposite to the meaning of her name), and even though she was in her forties, she always loved to hang out with Sango and me and chat for hours. She stopped doing it as often as she used to though because, as she said on Sango's 15th birthday, she knew she 'is first a mother and then a friend'. So since then she has usually left us by ourselves after about half an hour to forty five minutes of chatting, and to only appear again to bring us sodas or snacks.

'Then it's fine. We'll miss you at dinner though!'

'What they'll actually miss is bombing me with inappropriate questions, and not my presence.' I thought as I put on my light pink plaid Mary Jane Skimmers, and then I rushed out the door.

It was a nice September night, probably somewhere around 25ºC, as it had been for the last week or so. As I left the house I immediately regretted not having brought a jacket with me though because the wind was a bit chilly. However I could not got back in, not without risking seeing Inuyasha. So I hugged myself, covering my bare shoulders with my hands, and walked faster towards Sango's house. It was a 20 minute walk with no interesting sights whatsoever, so I tried to entertain myself, and tried to avoid thinking about Inuyasha, by looking at the moon and at the few stars that the city's glow allowed to shine through. I knew I was getting closer as the houses started to become larger and more elegant. Finally, I arrived at around 8 o'clock.

Sango lived in a very slightly different version of my dream house. Her house was two stories high and painted white with a dark blue front door and shutters. The front of the house was covered with elegant, tall windows. On the bottom floor there were four windows, two at each side of the door, and on the top floor there were six windows distanced equally from each other. These six windows gave access to a beautiful balcony. Sango's room was on the top floor, and it included the two front windows further to the left, and three of the four windows on the left side of the house. In front of the house there was a huge, green lawn which, unfortunately, was not very well taken care of. The grass was good, but I had always thought that the lawn would be much more beautiful if they just planted some flowers and cherry trees on it. Sadly, Sango's mom didn't have the patience, or the ability, to sit still for 10 minutes to plant and take care of these non-conversational beings.

I stepped into the lawn and followed the narrow stone path to the dark blue door. I knocked three times and waited. A few seconds later the door opened and Yasu appeared in front of me.

'Hello sweetie! What a wonderful surprise! Come in, come in, it's chilly outside!' She stepped aside to let me in.

'Thank you.' I said with a smile. Yasu closed the door behind me and called Sango, who was upstairs. Sango replied that she would be down in a few minutes, so Yasu led me to the kitchen where she had been preparing dinner. I sat down on one of the stools by the bar which stood at the far right of the kitchen, and Yasu gave me some tasty lemonade, as usual.

'So sweetie, how are you doing? I heard from Sango that you are adjusting pretty well to your new family, but is it true? Or is there anything you need? You know we are always here for you!'

'I am just fine. Izanagi and Inuyasha are nice people. But thank you for your concern.' Yasu was an amazing woman indeed. I had always felt like she was my personal fairy godmother. She was always worrying about my well-being, even though she didn't have to take that responsibility.

'I am glad.' She paused for a few seconds as she stirred the contents of a pan sitting on the fire. 'So that Inuyasha boy is nice, eh? I haven't seen him yet, but hopefully I will during your mom's party next week. Sango says he is good looking…" She paused again, "do you think they would make a good couple?'

'Who are _they_?' I asked before sipping some more lemonade, enjoying the taste of it too much to realize where she was getting at.

'Sango and Inuyasha, of course. Kagome! Are you ok?!' As she specified who the couple would be, some lemonade followed the wrong path from my mouth and I started to choke slightly and cough. Once I was able to breathe well again I attempted to answer her question.

'Well… I am not sure. I still don't know much about Inuyasha. He is nice and… good looking… and they would look good together, but I… I just don't know… maybe…'

For the same unknown reason why I couldn't answer Kouga's question truthfully before, I couldn't answer this one truthfully either. Even though I wanted to say no, I just couldn't. This woman and her daughter were two of the most important people in my life. I didn't want them to be unhappy, since they have always wished happiness for me. I wished I could have said yes then. But I couldn't bring myself to say that either, which is why I ended up with a miserable maybe.

'I think they…' Yasu started saying, but she got cut off by Sango.

'Hey girl!' She appeared through the door, wearing a towel on her head and her purple pyjamas.

'Hey!' I said, happy to be able to put an end to that conversation. Yasu then gave us some snacks and drinks and Sango and I went upstairs to Sango's room. We had some food and soon afterwards I told her about what happened with Inuyasha.

_**Now/Cont'd Beginning of Chapter**_

'I can't believe you said that to him!'

'Well, I couldn't think of anything else at that point!' I stood up and started pacing too. 'It was really awkward! What was I supposed to say?! 'Oh yeah, I think you are possibly the hottest guy I have ever seen! I am so glad that your dad is dating my mom!' Would that be better?'

'Probably…' Sango said as she sat down at her desk.

'Seriously?'

'Well, you know that I think he likes you… maybe if you admitted how you think of him you would have realized that you like him too…'

'I don't like him like that!' I threw myself on her bed and covered my face with one of her pillows.

'Ok, ok.' She paused. 'So, if Ayumi were to ask him out, would you be ok with it?'

'Why would she do that?' I said from under the pillow.

'She called me earlier and told me that she thinks Inuyasha is really great and that she is thinking of asking him out… tomorrow before class.'

'Really? Tomorrow already?' I sat up on the bed. 'But they just met! What is she thinking?'

'If I remember correctly, she called it '_love at first sight_''

'Eww.' I said accompanied by a face that showed my dislike for those kinds of novels. I always thought they portrayed certain situations too perfectly and unrealistically.

'You need to take a love potion or something. Your lack of romance and hope for love at age 17 is worrying.'

'Well, dating Kouga was not a very good experience, so you can't really blame me. And by the way you are as worrying as I am sweetie.'

'I may not have gone out with any of the guys that asked me, but I do believe in love at first sight, and that is why I am staying single.'

'So, do you think they experienced _love at first sight_?'

'Definitely'

My heart started beating faster all of a sudden.

'So, do you think he'll say yes?' I asked slowly.

'Not at all'

'What? But you just said…' I was getting confused by the second.

'I said they experienced love at first sight. But I didn't say that it was towards each other… for both of them…' She winked at me.

'Ahhh! You never quit, do you? Good night!' I said as I quickly got up, turned off the light, got into her bed, and lay facing the other way so she wouldn't be able to see my face, which blushed as my mind involuntarily replayed for me all those moments when we locked eyes and I was ready to melt.

Sango chuckled as she lay down on the other side of her huge king size bed.

_**Next Morning**_

**Ring, Ring, Ring…**

'Kagome… 7:20… wake up… school…' Sango said sleepily from her side of the bed. I opened my eyes slowly and immediately recognized the light blue bedroom and the soft, light purple pillows. Then all the memories of what had happened the day before rushed back.

'No… no school… awkward… ahhh…'

Then the door burst open.

'Wakey, wakey, eggs and backie!' Said Yasu loudly from the doorway. 'Breakfast in 10 ladies!' Then she closed the door and her voice could be heard as she hummed a melody on her way to the kitchen.

'C'mon…' Sango said as she slowly stood up and walked towards her bathroom. While she freshened up I also stood up and started gathering my clothes for the day from my yellow backpack. Unfortunately, the day before I was in such a hurry to leave the house that I grabbed the clothes for today without really paying any attention, and now I was regretting my lack of composure.

'Oh boy…' I had grabbed a dark blue denim mini skirt, which I hadn't worn for two years because it had become too short for my taste, but I had never thrown it out because Sango got it for my fourteenth birthday and I always loved it. I didn't feel comfortable wearing it now, but Sango's clothes didn't usually fit me because she had wider thighs, so I _had_ to wear the skirt to school. I put it on and, as expected, it only covered down to my mid thigh. Next I grabbed the shirt that I had also blindly picked the day before. It was my pink banana republic cap-sleeve shirred top. At least I liked this shirt, and it looked good with my mini skirt and shoes. I put it on, followed by my shoes. Just then Sango came out from the bathroom and stared at me.

'Is that the skirt I gave you when you were fourteen?' She asked, tilting her head to the right.

'Yeah…'

'It's very short, not like you at all. Why did you bring it?'

'I didn't realize what clothes I was grabbing yesterday. I was in too much of a hurry. I didn't want to see Inuyasha after that talk.'

'Well… I think _he_ will definitely see _you_ today, if you know what I mean.'

'Don't say that please. I am trying hard not to think about the unwanted attention I might get today.'

'Fine.' She chuckled. 'Let's go! We are going to be late for class, missy!' She chuckled as she picked up her bag pack.

I quickly put my hair up in a bun and then borrowed Sango's pink head band and put it on. Then I followed Sango into the kitchen, we ate breakfast fast, and then walked to school.

**School Yard****/8:30am**

'Holy crap Kagome! What happened to you?' Yelled Eri when Sango and I met her and Yuka outside the cafeteria. Yuka's mouth was open.

'Momentaneous stupidity.' I said truthfully.

'You look gorgeous' Yuka said.

'Don't say that to her, she doesn't like the attention. She would rather be the ugly duckling.' Said Sango as she made a funny face, maybe trying to impersonate a duck.

'Kagome will never be an ugly duckling!' Said a well-known male voice behind me. 'It should be normal for everyone to stare at her like they are now.'

'What!?' I looked around me and indeed, most faces were turned in my direction. Some girls looked at me shyly, while others looked at me directly in the eyes with angry expressions, and most of the boys were looking at every part of my body except my eyes.

'Can't we go to class already so I can sit down and hide behind my books??' I wined.

'You shouldn't hide how beautiful you are Kagome!' Said Yuka. 'I am glad that you finally decided to show off!'

'As I said before, it was momentaneous stupidity, not a choice.'

'I'll take you to class Kagome. I don't feel comfortable either having all these perverts looking at you like this.' This said Kouga grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the class building. I was surprised at first but then I just started walking next to him, relieved that someone finally listened to me, even if it was for selfish reasons.

Class would start in about five minutes by the time Kouga and I were to walk into our classroom. I was finally calming down, thinking that, even though I would not be able to completely hide behind my books and desk, at least the other students would have to be looking forward, and not at me. This, of course, was in theory.

As my right foot was going to step onto the classroom floor I was pulled from behind by someone. I looked at the person and it was Shinobu, the other volleyball co-captain. She pulled me away from the classroom and took me to the girls' bathroom. Kouga didn't even notice, since he had gone inside the classroom first.

'What's up Shinobu? Why are we in here?' I said as I leaned on the sink.

'I have important news, and I need to tell you know. If we had stayed out there your teacher would have forced you to go in and me to go away.'

'So, what is the news?'

'Mr. Takehiko just told me that the volleyball club doesn't have enough money to buy new equipment and fix the net.'

'How is that possible?? Didn't the board give us money as it does every year?'

'Yes, but not enough. It turns out the basketball team needed some extra money, and they gave them most of ours.' She rolled her eyes.

'How can…?!?! Ahh!! I am so sick of the board and their freaking preferences!!' I turned around frustrated and hit the sink with both hands.

'Me too. Anyway, there is nothing we can do except plan a fundraiser and hope for the best.'

'Ok, fine.' I took a deep breath. 'What could we do?'

'Well, I asked around this morning and most students said they would pay to see a good and innovative show; something that has not been done before at the school.'

'Did they give examples?'

'Actually there were a lot of people who would like to see a… beauty passage.' She said the last two words in a low voice because she knew I would not like it; and she was right.

'A beauty passage… really?'

'Why did I have to go to school with such shallow people?' I thought.

'Yes, but we would mainly organize it. The models would be volunteers.'

'Fine, then.'

'Really?'

'As long as I don't need to be a model I am fine with it.'

'Great! But you will not even consider modelling? For instance, you look amazing today! With a bit of make up and fancier clothes you would for sure get us a large audience.

'I'll pass.'

Just then the bell announcing the beginning of the first period rang.

'Oh, no, no, no… See you later!' I ran out the bathroom and towards my classroom. The door was closed. I hesitated for a second, but then I decided to face my fears instead of being a coward and skipping class.

When I opened the door each and every eye turned towards me. I could see my friends' looking confused, and sitting next to my desk, Inuyasha. He was wearing blue jeans, his black sneakers, and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was the only boy who was looking at my face.

'So, Miss Higurashi. Why would you be late today?'

I seriously thought of running out the door. I really hated getting this much attention, and especially from my classmates, among which I just wanted to blend.

'Ummm…' I knew that Mr. Myoga liked to remind those who were late of their wrong, so I needed to look for an excuse that he wouldn't be able to use later against me. I went towards him and whispered in his ear 'I needed to urgently find a feminine product for my womanly needs'.

I know it is weird but my embarrassment from being looked at by everyone while wearing a mini skirt was greater than the embarrassment from mentioning feminine products to my 65 year old teacher. The first embarrassment actually gave me the strength to do it.

'Oh… eh, ok. Well, go sit down.' He looked away from me fast and started writing on the board. Now I was sure that he would not be mentioning me in front of the class for a while.

I walked towards my seat while looking at my feet, and then quickly took my seat. Mr. Myoga started explaining today's lesson immediately.

'What the hell happened to you? I thought you came five minutes before class with Kouga.' Sango whispered to me from her desk to my right.

'I got sidetracked by Shinobu.' I whispered back.

'So much for not wanting to be the center of attention, eh?'

'If you didn't want to have all these guys drooling over you then why would you ever wear that.' I looked left briefly.

Inuyasha was looking ahead towards the board, leaning comfortably on his chair. His left hand was half way closed and next to his mouth, his elbow placed against his desk. This was most likely for preventing the teacher from seeing him talk. His right arm was hanging next to his body, and in his hand he had a pen which he was moving among his fingers. I hadn't though about yesterday since this morning, and now all the awkward feelings rushed back.

'I… I did not plan on wearing this.' I whispered to him, my words barely coming out audible. I looked straight ahead as well.

'So, you picked the wrong clothes because you were too worried about running away from me last night?' I felt him move and I knew he was now looking at me.

'I did not run away from you. I remembered I had to borrow something from Sango and it got late so I stayed at her house.'

'Really?'

'Yes.'

'Because yesterday I thought for a second that maybe that stupid question of mine scared you because you secretly like me, but you know that we could never be together because of our complicated family situation.'

'You have quite an imagination.' I said, but a part of me that I was desperately trying to repress told me that he was right.

'So, you don't like me that way at all?'

I didn't say anything and acted as if I was paying attention to Mr. Myoga.

'Well, that's really great. I thought I would hurt your feelings otherwise'.

Just then I felt a sharp pain in my chest; if it was real or not I don't know. I just knew that at that moment I felt like the ugliest duckling in the world.

'What do you mean?' I couldn't resist. I didn't understand how he could just admit that he is not attracted to me at all after Sango had been so sure of it. Even I had thought of the possibility, although I would never admit it. 'What is wrong with me? Why am I not good enough?' I desperately thought. A tear threatened to come out.

'Well, if you had liked me that way then I would not have considered agreeing to date Ayumi, because it would have been extremely awkward and hard for you.' He paused and looked at me directly into the eyes for a few seconds. I was frozen and I just stared back, desperately trying to not show my feelings and to hold back my tears. 'But since you don't like me I guess I can tell Ayumi now that I would like to go out with her.'


	5. He said YES!

'Well, if you had liked me that way then I would not have considered agreeing to date Ayumi, because it would have been extremely awkward and hard for you.' He paused and looked at me directly into the eyes for a few seconds. I was frozen and I just stared back, desperately trying to not show my feelings and to hold back my tears. 'But since you don't like me I guess I can tell Ayumi now that I would like to go out with her.'

******

Lunch Time

'Girlies! Guess what!' Ayumi yelled as she quickly approached the table where Sango, Eri, Yuka, and I sat.

'Did you do it? Did you ask Inuyasha out?' Eri asked her excitedly.

'YES!'

'What did he say?' Asked Yuka.

'Well, after I asked him today before class he said he needed to do something before he could give me a definite answer. But right after first period he came to find me and he said… YES!'

'O-M-G' Yuka and Eri said loudly in unison, as they stood up and hugged each other merrily.

'I am soooo jealous!'

'Me too! Me too! Oh, from now on you have to tell us every-little-detail of what you two do, if you know what I mean…' Yuka said as she winked and elbowed Ayumi.

'Sick…'

'What was that Kagome?' Ayumi asked.

'Nothing. I am going to get some juice.' I said dryly. Then I stood up and went towards the self-service area in the cafeteria.

'What's with her today?' Ayumi asked.

'Maybe Kouga bothered her again today.' Eri suggested.

'I heard he was going to ask her to be his date for the welcoming dance this Sunday.' Yuka added.

'Really?' Asked Sango. 'Have you informed her of this yet?'

'I heard of this just this morning'.

'Poor Kagome. Uneasy situations just keep piling up in front of her.'

'What other uneasy situations were there before? Hey, Sango!!!' Ayumi asked, but Sango had already stood up and started walking towards Kagome, who was waiting in line to pay for her drink.

*****

(Kagome & Sango)

'Hey, how is juice-buying going'

'Do you think they'll have sex while I am in the next room?' I whispered to Sango.

'Ok… I see you're freaking out.' She put her arm around me 'Ok sweetie, breath. Think of anything but them'.

'I can't! They just met yesterday. Yesterday! And those girls are already talking about what they'll be doing in private!'

'In case you don't remember, those girls are constantly talking about boys, making out and sex. They just have more specific targets now.'

I shivered, the image of those two walking into Inuyasha's room smiling happily making be literally sick.

'Fuck the juice. I am going to the library to read a textbook.' I put the juice on the nearest counter and left the line, closely followed by Sango. I went to our table to get my bag. I grabbed it and, when I turned around to get away from the table, Kouga was right in front of me and a little bit behind him came Miroku and Inuyasha together laughing.

'Crap' I said under my breath.

'Hey Kagome! You leaving already? You couldn't have possibly had enough time to eat.''

'I don't want anything to eat.' I tried to pass him, but he was persistent.

'But you need to eat something! It's not healthy to starve yourself!' Inuyasha and Miroku were already sitting at the table when he said this.

'Really?' I asked ironically. Kouga could be very stupid.

'Yes!' I tried to pass him as he talked, but he stopped me again. 'C'mon! Stay and eat a bit!' I just stood there quietly and stared at him with an angry expression. He was starting to look desperate. 'Inuyasha, tell her she has to eat.'

'Why should she listen to me? You two have known each other far longer. You even dated, right?'

'The best three months of my life! Ouch!!!'

That was it. Enough! I elbowed Kouga in the stomach so he would get out of the way. It worked. I quickly walked past him and out of the cafeteria. For a moment every one stared at the door I had gone through, confused after seeing my strange expression and actions, which contained a mixture of fury, embarrassment, and distress. Every one stared except Inuyasha, who calmly ate his lunch as Ayumi came and sat next to him.

'Seriously, what's with her today?' She asked again.

*****

The whole thing in the cafeteria got me an upset stomach, so I went to the bathroom to calm down and splash some water on my face. Since Sango had always been able to guess my almost every thought, it didn't take more than a couple of minutes for her to show up.

'Are you feeling ok?'

'I've got a bit of an upset stomach, but I'll be fine. I just need to be away from those people for a bit.'

'How long is that bit?'

'Why?'

'Before I left they were all talking about going to the park this afternoon, to show Inuyasha and "help him acclimatize more to the area", in Miroku's own words.'

'I have volleyball practice.'

'So does Eri. They are going afterwards.'

I moved my head from side to side. Sango stared at me for a minute, then she began talking again.

'I am kind of amazed at how Inuyasha managed to turn your life into a real life drama in just three days. I mean, you had never been uncomfortable around your friends until now. Not even with Kouga after the two of you broke up!'

'That's because (1) we were friends beforehand, (2) I broke up with him, and (3) we didn't do anything worth being uncomfortable about.'

'Oh you don't need to remind me. I remember how frustrated he got after trying each and every tactic in the book to convince you of letting him touch any part of your body that weren't your lips or arms.' She chuckled a bit, 'I kind of felt sorry for him sometimes. He worked so hard!'

'He did indeed. But I didn't ever really like him that way. He was always a friend more than anything.' I paused taking a few seconds to recall the past. 'You know that I only went out with him because of Ayumi, Eri and Yuka.' Sango nodded. 'After they found out that Kouga liked me they started acting a bit like maybe there was something wrong with me because I didn't want to go out with a cute guy who was crazy about me. I know now that they didn't mean any harm and that they just wanted for me what they hadn't been able to find for themselves. However at that point I didn't realize this and I started thinking that maybe there was indeed something wrong with me. So I went out with him to prove to them wrong. Stupid reason. Ended up hurting him a lot'

'You made him happy for a bit though.'

'I guess…' I still felt really badly about using him to prove my friends' theory wrong. I always will.

'So what's different about Inuyasha? Why is he affecting you so much?'

'He is affecting my friends, and they are affecting me.'

'He's still the source though.'

'Sango, I know what you want me to say.'

'Then say it.'

'It's not true!'

'It is!

'It isn't!'

'It is! You are just using your family's situation as an excuse to deny it!'

'When are you going to quit?!' She was getting on my nerves! If it had been any other girl I would probably have slapped her already.

'I'll quit when you say it!'

'Fine!' I said, too frustrated to think straight 'I like him!'

'Who?'

'Inuyasha! I like Inuyasha! There! You happy now!?'

'Static.'

'Good.'

I stood in front of Sango, trying to slow down my breath. Even though I still refused to believe what I had just said, since it was said in order to make Sango quit, my stomach calmed down immediately after the words left my mouth and I felt the anxiety that had accumulated throughout the day dissipate.


	6. Wonderful End To A NotSoWonderful Day

I didn't go to the park with my friends that afternoon. Instead, I decided to go home and take a hot and soothing bubble bath. I also played some classical music and I was completely relaxed within minutes, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened during the last week. I don't know how long I was in there, but my peace was eventually disturbed by a loud knock on the door.

'What?!'

'Kagome dear you've been in there for over half an hour. You should come out already and hang out with me and Izanagi for a while.'

'But I am sooo relaxed…' I didn't really feel like hanging out with them at all.

'No more excuses honey! You are going to look like a dried plum if you don't come out already. So, c'mon!'

There was no point in arguing; my mom could be as stubborn as me, and sometimes even more. I got out, wrapped a towel around myself, and went to my room to get dressed. I put on a regular, old white t-shirt and my 'short' pajama shorts and went downstairs. Izanagi and my mom were in the living room sitting on one of the couches, animatedly talking about something.

'There you are honey! Come sit with us!' My mom said as she scotched over to leave a space for me to sit on to her left. Izanagi sat at her other side still smiling.

'Honey we are so glad that we have the chance to talk to you like this. We have wanted to do this for a while.'

'What did you want to talk about…?'

'Nothing in particular; we just wanted to know how your life is going. You know, school, friends, and that kind of stuff.'

'It's going fine.' I tried to go with the "simple answer technique" that drives parents crazy and forces them to leave you alone. Unfortunately my mom was not going to let me go that easily.

'Isn't there anything new or interesting that you would like to share with us?'

'So, Inuyasha didn't meet a special girl?' And they said they wanted to know about my life… They probably heard from Ayame's mom. My mom and she had always liked to call and tell each other about their respective daughter's achievements in life.

'I don't know.' I said. I didn't really know much more than they did; and I was happier that way.

'Oh but you do! C'mon honey! Izanagi and I are very excited. Tell us everything!'

'I don't' know anything!' I yelled a little. Why was everyone constantly trying to get me caught up in their freaking lives?? I had one of my own to worry about! 'Look, why don't you just wait for him to come back and…?'

'I'm home!' Inuyasha shouted from the entrance. 'Thank goodness' I thought.

'Inuyasha come here!' Izanagi said, suddenly looking like he had a lot to say. Inuyasha came into the living room and looked at us. He sighed, probably knowing already what was going on, and came to sit in the couch in front of ours.

'Ok, I don't think you will be in need of me anymore so I am gonna go upstairs and do homework.' I said as I stood up and started walking towards the door.

'Wait honey. After we talk to Inuyasha we want to tell you both something. Go sit next to him.' My mom said. I looked at Inuyasha, who was staring directly into my face, and then I looked down and went to sit down where I was told. He was leaning forward, and I leaned back.

'Son' Izanagi began, 'I have heard a rumor today, and I would like to know if they are real.'

Inuyasha sighed. 'What rumor?' He obviously knew what was coming.

'Well…, we heard that… you and a girl from school… that you… asked her out.' I had never seen Izanagi so embarrassed to say something; they never had a problem talking to me about boys and other various aspects of my should-be-private life.

'I didn't ask her out.' Inuyasha said plainly. Izanagi and my mom looked very disappointed then; their smiles faded and I think they were… pouting a bit? Ugh. And were technically the kids… Inuyasha looked at them for about half a minute and then sighed again. 'She asked _me_ out' He said, and then he leaned back on the couch like I had done.

The next half an hour was possibly one of the worst ones of my life. I had never seen an adult as excited as my mom and Izanagi were. They were actually bouncing as they sat on the couch congratulating Inuyasha, and on their faces were the hugest grins I had ever seen. It was kind of creepy. After two and a half minutes of congratulations, Izanagi stood and walked to sit by his son, thus unconsciously kicking me out of the small couch.

'Come sit by me honey.' My mom said, and I did. If I had tried to escape they would have stopped me again.

'Way to go son! I knew my boy would get a girl eventually! You really had me worried for a while though. Practically every girl that ever set eyes on you since kindergarten wanted to be with you, but you always refused. I am so happy!'

'Dad, cut it out!' Izanagi had launched himself towards Inuyasha and was now hugging him tightly. He laughed as he did so, knowing he was embarrassing his son. 'Stop it!' Inuyasha yelled again. Finally Izanagi let go of Inuyasha, a huge grin on his face.

'So honey, should we start the talk now?' My mom asked Izanagi.

'Yeah! This is going to be fun.' Both Inuyasha and I knew what that meant: fun for them, hell for us.

'Good! Let's start!' My mom cleared her throat. 'Ok. So, Izanagi and I talked and we decided that, since now we are living with two teenagers, and since we all have to get accustomed to our new lives, it would be good to have a conversation early on with you about our relationships and sex rules.

'Oh God…' I said, and I leaned forward and put my head between my legs. This could not be happening.

'Is it really necessary? I have received this talk before, and based on Kagome's response I would guess she has too.'

'New house, new rules boy.' Izanagi said.

'Whatever.' Inuyasha gave in. My head was still between my legs.

'Kagome sit down straight for heaven's sake. It's not like we're going to show you diagrams or use bananas.'

'Oh well then I am all ears! C'mon guys! Tell me about sex already!' I said sarcastically. I heard Inuyasha chuckle.

'Its mainly rules Little Lady. Don't worry.'

'Sure'

'Rule #1:' My mom started, 'No sex in the house.'

'Does that include you two as well?' I said. Inuyasha chuckled again.

'Kagome stop already. This is serious. You may not have a boyfriend now, but you probably will again sometime and I don't want to provide you with an easy location that will help you have sex before you are truly ready. You understand honey?'

'Why do you assume that I haven't had sex?' I asked. My mom's face went pale in mere seconds, Izanagi looked at me disappointingly, and Inuyasha just sat there, his hands made into tight fists, probably angry at me for making things even worse.

That's when I started thinking right again. What was I doing? Why was I being so mean? I was never like this before. I had never tried to upset my mom on purpose; it was awful to do something like that. But now here I was, being a fucking bitch, hinting to my poor mother that her perfect and trustworthy 17 year old daughter was already sexually active. It wasn't even true.

I was terribly ashamed. I stood up and left the room quietly, feeling the three pairs of eyes stabbing my back. Once in the hallway I ran up the stairs and went into my room, closing the door behind me. I lay on my bed for a while and there I tried to think hard about the reasons behind my sudden personality change. In my head I went over the events of the previous week, and the more I thought about them the angrier I felt. Yes, that was it; I was angry, very angry. Since I was not an angry person at all, it made sense that I was being so bad at dealing with this new strong emotion.

There was a knock on the door.

'Honey, can I come in?' My mom said from the hallway. I thought about faking being asleep, but since the guilt had already started to settle within me, and I truly couldn't handle it, I stood up and unlocked and opened the door. My mom was standing there, looking significantly sad. I went to sit on my bed and my mom followed, taking a seat next to me.

'Honey—'

'I am so sorry, mom.' I said really fast. I could feel tears dwelling in my eyes. 'I'm sorry I wasn't taking the talk seriously, and I'm sorry about the…other thing.'

'Kagome… I forgive you. I actually saw this coming, and I know it is my fault.' She sighed.

'What is your fault? I am the one who was being a b… I mean… you know.' I blushed.

'But it has been caused by the changes that I brought on us. I didn't tell you about Izanagi until we were ready to move in together… and Inuyasha had known about us for about 10 months! I am the mother; I should know better than to put my own well being before yours. I am so sorry Kagome!

'My anger is no excuse to behave like I did. I am sorry. I will never behave like that ever again.'

'And I will always tell you everything that will affect your life and our relationship as mother and daughter. Kagome, you are the most important person in my life. You're my daughter and I love you more than anything or anyone; remember that.'

'I love you too mom.' We hugged, and by that point we were also crying. We stayed like that for a minute, and then my mom stood up and walked toward the door. Just then I remembered something important.

'Mom, wait!' She turned around to face me. 'About the thing I said… you know… about me having had sex…' I blushed a deep red. 'It is not true. I said it just to bother you and Izanagi. I'm sorry again.'

Suddenly my mom's face became as happy as it had previously been this evening, like nothing had happened. She quickly came to my side once more and held my hands in hers.

'Well, honey that is just wonderful! I was afraid you weren't going to say anything at all about that. I am sooo relieved! I mean, you are old enough so that you could have been intimate with someone, but as a mother I really hoped you hadn't. Especially because, since you don't have a boyfriend, it would mean that you would have been sleeping around or something.' She shivered slightly. 'Kagome, you don't have to tell me about your 'private life' if you don't want to, I trust you enough to know you'll make the right decisions. I just want you to know that if you ever need anything, from a mother-daughter talk to condoms, I will always be here for you.'

'Thanks, mom'

'Ok, I will go tell Izanagi now that everything is fine. He was so worried about both of us.' Once again she walked toward the door and opened it.

'Mom, please don't tell him about this last issue we discussed, or anything like it, at least for now. I really don't feel comfortable having him know so much about my 'private life', as you put it.'

'Oh, ok.' She still looked happy, but now also a bit worried. 'Are you… ok with him?'

'Yes, yes! It's not that I don't like him!' I didn't want her to worry about me even more. Her worry seemed to dissipate a bit as I clarified this. 'It's just that I haven't known him for that long; I am still getting used to him being a parental figure.'

'Oh, I'm sorry honey. I keep forgetting you have only known him for a few days. I will keep that topic to myself.' She made a motion like she was sealing her lips. 'I will see you at dinner.' With that she left my room.

I laid facing down on my bed, my head sideways and my hands underneath my pillow. 'Thank goodness that's over' I thought. Finally relaxed, and done with a stressful day, I quickly fell asleep. I don't know how long I slept, but at some point I abruptly woke up to a repeated knock in my window.

'Um…eh…what? Ouch!' I had gotten stuck with the bed sheets when I was sleeping and so I fell to the floor as I tried to figure out the source of the noise. I looked up toward the window from my spot on the floor, and there he was: Inuyasha.

He was smiling at me as well as pointing his finger toward the window lock. I stood up and opened the window. He came in wearing what I assumed to be his pajamas (Until now I had only seen him wearing everyday clothes). He was wearing a white t-shirt and long, navy blue, pajama pants. His hair was not messy, so I presumed that he had not gone to sleep yet. Speaking of going to sleep… what time was it? I looked over at the alarm clock on my side table: 2:16 am. My mom probably called me to dinner and when she realized I was asleep she let me be. I turned my attention once again to Inuyasha, who was now sitting on my bed, looking at me as I stood next to the foot of my bed.

'So… what brings you to my room at 2 in the morning on a weekday?' My hands were hold together behind my back, my fingers fidgeting. I tried to look at him in the face, but it was awkward. I had never been in a room by myself with a boy at late hours of the night before.

'I just wanted to check on you, see if you're ok. Your mom said you two talked and fixed things, but I know that in occasions parents can be clueless to their children's emotions or the situations they are going through.' His words gave me courage to look at him in the eyes. There was true concern there.

'I think we are ok. I appreciate your concern though.'

'That's what brothers are for, right?' He said smiling and winking an eye at me.

'Right.' I said, trying to sound convincing and relaxed.

Unlike me, he looked so comfortable and… happy? 'Of course he is comfortable' I thought 'he doesn't see this meeting as something between a boy and a girl; he sees it as a meeting of siblings.' I sighed. I really didn't like the whole being siblings thing (even though I kind of started it…).

'So, do you want to talk?' He asked as he patted the spot next to him on the bed, signaling me to take a seat there. I did.

'What would you want to talk to me about?'

'Anything.'

We talked until the sun came up; he asked about me and I asked about him. We learned about each others' hobbies, favorite foods and places, about our fears and wants, about our hobbies and plans for the future… It was so easy to talk to him. It felt like he truly listened to me, like he cared about every word that left my lips… like I could trust him with my darkest secret. At about 6 am he decided to go to his room to get an hour of sleep before school, and until I saw him again at 7:15am I missed him like I had never missed anyone before in my life.


	7. Shopping Trip & a Frustrated Girlfriend

**Chapter 7**

The next two weeks went by pretty fast. I spent most of my free time helping Sango organize the welcoming dance, mainly because Ayumi wasn't doing it. I hated not hanging out with her, Eri, and Yuka, but Ayumi was always with Inuyasha and, while I enjoyed being with them individually, I couldn't stand them together. It was mainly Ayumi's fault; she liked to touch him ALL THE TIME. She acted like she would die immediately if she was to stop hugging his arm for half a second.

The worst part of the week was, however, that everyone was going crazy over getting dates for the dance. The sounds governing the halls Wednesday through Friday was of girls squeaking, and all you could see was clusters of people, most often separated by gender, checking each other out and pointing.

**On Friday**

'Thank goodness is Friday!' Sango said excitedly. She was sewing a cloth decoration in the shape of a red flower. 'I nearly went crazy from listening to all of those hormone-filled girls all week long'.

I laughed as I stood on a ladder and placed a white flower decoration in place. We were at the gym, where the dance was going to take place.

'Did you say yes to anybody who asked you? ' She asked.

'Nope.' I had been asked by three guys today, a total of ten throughout the week.

'Why not?'

'I didn't know most of them. And the ones I did know I do not like; at all.'

'Oh right, that Noburu guy.' Sango shivered. He was a jock, and pretty good-looking, but he only had one thought in his mind. The only reason he asked me out was because he wanted something more than dancing to happen that night. He had actually asked me to the dance every previous year of high school. Unfortunately, rejecting him did not help. He always found someone willing to have a one night stand, and the hope that I would say yes did not seem to vanish.

'How about you? Did you happen to say yes to anybody?'

'You're the only one.'

'You didn't betray me? Even with all of those willing men at your feet?'

'I love you more.' She fluttered her eyelashes.

'Awww… I love you too.'

After the first five guys asked we decided to be each other's date, unless someone we really wanted to go with asked at the last minute. Once the decorations were done Sango and I went to get our backpacks and then go home, since volleyball had been cancelled to help organize the dance. As we walked through the courtyard we heard people shouting to our right, where the basketball court was.

'I thought there was no practice of any kind today.' Sango said.

'How could they? The school would be destroyed!' I moved my arms in the air dramatically. Sango laughed. 'Seriously' I continued. 'They give them too many advantages.'

'Well, they are the most popular team. They are very good.'

'Yes, they are. But you do know that's not the main reason.'

'They are pretty cute.' Sango blushed a bit. I knew the reason well.

'And especially Miroku. Right?'

'What? No! I mean, Yes!, I mean…' Sango was shy when talking about guys, but she only got nervous when we talked about Miroku.

'Are you ever going to tell him?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Sango said aloofly.

'Right…' I rolled my eyes. 'So, do you want to check out what's going on in the basketball court?'

'If you want to…'

I grinned. She had liked Miroku for a while, but never said so out loud. I am sure she could tell I knew, and she was comforted by it. Sometimes she gave me little hints that told me she wanted to do something she was ashamed to tell me about, like now, that she wanted to go see Miroku play.

'Ok, let's go.'

We walked over to the basketball court, which was surrounded by a lot of people, mainly girls. Among those girls we spotted Ayumi and Yuka, who were excitedly cheering.

'Hey there.' I said.

'Hi girlfriends! Come watch the best view at Hideyoshi High School!' Yuka replied.

'And what would that be exactly?' Sango asked as we moved to stand next to them.

'The basketball team's behinds of course!' Ayumi said, never looking away from the court.

'Oh, that view.' I rolled my eyes, and then I proceeded to watch the game. At least that was what I was planning to do before I saw him. It didn't matter that I saw him more than anybody else at school did; each time I became newly amazed at how incredibly gorgeous he was. He was wearing the team's uniform, which included a pair of blue shorts and a blue sleeveless shirt with the name of the school written in silver letters. Ayumi and Yuka were right; those pants really did make their butts look incredible, even if they actually weren't that much to look at. In Inuyasha's case it was hard to stop staring, since he already had a great butt without the magic shorts. I immediately stopped staring when I heard my name being called.

'Kagome!' It was Ayumi. She was looking at me with a weird expression on her face. Apparently she broke eye contact with the shorts shortly after mine began.

'What?'

'Who were you staring at? We called your name a couple of times and you didn't notice.'

'I… I wasn't staring at anyone in particular. I was just watching them play.'

'Really?'

'Yes.'

'You weren't staring at Koga?' A grin appeared on Ayumi's face.

'What? No!' I was glad they didn't notice my actual target, but now they would be a pain. Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka always said Koga and I were meant to be together. They would be hard to get off my back.

'It's ok. He does have a nice butt. Don't feel bad about it.'

'I wasn't checking him out.' After I said it I noticed I might have put too much emphasis on the 'him' part.

'Wait, so there actually was someone you were checking out?' Eri said. I hadn't even noticed her arrival.

'I already said no.'

'You are lying!' Eri said. She was managing to annoy me a lot considering she had only been present for a short period of time. 'I saw you clearly. You were staring at someone, but it wasn't Koga.' Her head moved from side to side as she looked at Ayumi, the one who had suggested Koga. 'I actually thought you were staring at—'

'Hello there ladies.' Miroku said. Practice had ended, and he and Inuyasha had decided to approach us before going to the locker rooms to change.

'Hi Miroku, thank you so much for coming over!' I said as I briefly shook his hand, very grateful they had interrupted Eri. He seemed confused by my gesture, but smiled back at me.

'Well, you all look so beautiful today I just had to get a closer look so that I can remember this moment more clearly in the future.'

'Err… Thanks!'

Since I knew that it wasn't safe to stay that close to Miroku for longer than a few seconds (while my girlfriends liked to stare at butts, he liked to actually touch them) I quickly moved to stand next to Sango.

'So, do you gals have any plans for tonight?' Miroku asked.

'Shopping!' Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka said in unison. 'We need to buy our prom dresses; we had so much homework these past two weeks we weren't able to buy our dresses until now.' Continued Yuka.

'So, we shouldn't be expecting you for dinner, then?' Inuyasha asked me.

'Why? I'm not going shopping—'

'Yes, you are!' Ayumi said as she put her arm around mine. It reminded me a lot to when she held Inuyasha's arm. I shivered.

'You are coming too!' Eri said as she did the same to Sango.

'Bye, guys!' The three said, again in unison, as Ayumi and Yuka pulled me and Sango away. Inuyasha and Miroku looked confused as we left them standing there.

**Shopping**

We arrived at Sora Mall at about 5:40pm, and my friends dragged me into the first clothing store they saw. It wasn't one of the really expensive ones, but it wasn't very cheap either.

'I know you will make me buy a dress, so I just want to let you know that I cannot spend that much on it.' Sango said. She didn't like spending a lot on money on her appearance, since she was still insecure when it came to people paying a lot of attention to her.

'Come on Sango! We just want you to look amazing for your date!'

'She looks amazing to me even in her old sweat pants.' I said. Then I hugged Sango from her right side, and she put her right arm over my shoulders and her left hand on my right arm. We looked at each other's eyes and smiled.

'Please you guys… don't do the little show now… people are looking!' Eri said.

'You look amazing to me too, even in your old lady's underwear.' Sango said to me, not paying attention to Eri.

'I don't have old lady underwear!' I let go of her and punched her playfully on her shoulder.

'Are you seriously planning on being each other's dates?' Ayumi asked with a disapproving tone of voice. 'Didn't you both get asked by a bunch of guys?'

'I don't want to go with a random guy.' I said.

'I agree. You all know what a lot of guys want from prom night. And especially those who ask but don't even know us personally.' Sango added.

'So?' Ayumi said.

'So, what?' I said.

'Why don't either of you like the idea of just having fun with guy?'

'Do you want us to have a one night stand?' I asked.

'That's not what I mean. Maybe you could just make out with a guy. It's fun! And, unlike us, you both have a lot of cute boys at your feet. C'mon! I might not see Sango necessarily doing it, but Kagome, you might have fun!' Ayumi was getting on my nerves.

'What is that supposed to mean?' I was getting angry at Ayumi. Who does she think she is? Just because she has a boyfriend doesn't give her the right to tell me what I should do with my love life.

'Don't get angry! I just want you guys to live and experience life. Sometimes you act more like 50 year olds than 17 year olds. I honestly get worried. Find a guy and have fun! We will help you.' She pointed at Eri, Yuka, and herself.

'You don't need to worry about us. We are fine.' I said, sounding a bit rough.

'Yeah, we are not the ones suffering because our boyfriend doesn't want to kiss us.' Sango spit out.

Wow. I was not expecting that at all. Not just because it was a low blow and hearing Sango saying something like that was very odd (She was such a shy and gentle person, always avoiding conflict), but also because in my mind I had unconsciously imagined the worst things about their relationship, and it turns out they were not even true! Phew! I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from me; as I have pointed out before, I really disliked their being together. It just really pissed me off… Right after happiness came confusion. Eri and Yuka had quickly covered their mouths and looked at Ayumi worriedly when Sango spoke; they obviously knew about that stuff as well. How come I was the only one left in the dark?

'Sango! Why…? How…? How could you use that against me?' Ayumi said. Her face was red, and her voice made her embarrassment obvious to everyone around her.

'I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that.' That was the old Sango coming back. She also looked embarrassed, her face a dimmer shade of red than Ayumi's. 'You were just being kind of mean and… Well, I just wanted you to realize that you shouldn't talk to us like that, because it hurts us, like I just hurt you... And again, I'm sorry…'

There was an awkward pause. Finally, Ayumi decided to stop the whole thing before she became even more embarrassed than she already was. She also didn't seem to want the topic of her relationship to remain in the air, so she tried to finish it quick and painlessly.

'It's ok. I'm sorry. I guess I was over the line. And Kagome… I am sorry about not telling you about my… my problem, while the rest of the girls knew. I was afraid Inuyasha would find out, since you live with him, and that he would feel pressured and leave me.' She really did look anxious.

'Don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me about your relationship if you are not comfortable.' I smiled, and Ayumi smiled back. I actually didn't want to know anything about it, even though I was glad that their relationship hadn't gone beyond arm holding. Hopefully the image of them kissing that came into my mind when I saw them together would now go away. I dreaded that image.

'Ok, well. If you are done quarreling, could we get going already?' Yuka said, grabbing Eri and turning to walk toward the prom dress section.

Yuka and Ayumi went straight for the more revealing dresses and carefully examined each one they found appealing. Eri immediately fell in love with a dress which matched her bubbly personality very well. It was a cocktail dress with a halter neckline covered in colorful glass beads, and a loose flower print knee-length skirt embellished in bright colors. Yuka found a cocktail dress with a beaded halter neckline and a golden/purple tulle layered skirt. Even though this dance had always been a short dress event, Ayumi decided to buy a dress which would hopefully be impressive enough to make Inuyasha want to do 'anything at all', as Ayumi put it herself while she spoke to Yuka a little to loudly. Ayumi's dress was a navy blue strapless gown with a ruched sweetheart top which flows in gentle waves into a long gown. I liked it, but to look its best it needed something Ayumi didn't have much of: curves. Also, her breast were pushed up in a way that was not very elegant. She did not look as sexy as she could have in a less provocative dress. However, Eri and Yuka encouraged her to buy it, as if the only thing that mattered was what the dress looked like, and not how it looked like on Ayumi

Sango and I looked at dresses for as long as it took the other girls to find theirs, but couldn't find anything. Since they were hungry—and we truly didn't want their help picking our dresses—we encouraged them to go eat somewhere while we found our own dresses. We went into several stores until Sango finally saw something she liked.

'It's gorgeous! It would look so good on you!' I exclaimed.

'I like it… but it is kind of expensive. And it's not like we have real dates.' She said, looking at the price tag with a disappointed look. The dress was really beautiful, and totally Sango. It was a violet cocktail dress with a square neckline accented with floral appliqués, and a medium sized bow in the back. The skirt was loose and went down to her knees.

'Not _that_ expensive. And, anyway, it is worth it. You can probably wear it more than once and… I'm sure you will make someone we both know drool…' I winked at her. Oddly enough, she didn't punch me playfully or say anything back; she just blushed and kept looking at the price tag as intently as if it had a treasure hidden within it. I smiled at the thought that she was finally starting to admit to me her feelings for Miroku. Next stop, admitting to Miroku himself!

'Fine, I'll get it.' She smiled as she folded it neatly and held on to it. 'Now, let's find you a dress. I am sure you will also make someone drool…'

'I can't believe you are still going on about that.'

'Now more than ever. First, according to you, you two have had the greatest time talking to each other at late hours, s-e-v-e-r-a-l times. Second, when we are all hanging out he pays more attention to you than anyone else, he is extra nice and attentive with you, _and_ he checks you out continuously.'

'What? You have such an imagination.'

'Sure… But he does… Anyway, lastly, as you now know, he hasn't even tried to kiss his girlfriend of almost two weeks. All of those things just confirm my previous suppositions…'

'Oh, boy'

'He L-O-V-E-S you, yea, yea…'

'Yeah, right. That's why he started going out with someone else on his second day at our school.'

'He hasn't kissed her yet.'

'So? Some people take longer than others to give themselves to the person they like.'

'He's just making you jealous! He doesn't actually like her. It fits so well! See, even though he acts all confident and cocky he is actually a shy and insecure person. When he asked you whether you thought he was hot he must have been pretty nervous, it must have been a huge effort for him. Then you must have taken his time-limited courage away, since you screamed at him that to you he was just your brother, so he decided to try another tactic.'

'Shy? Insecure? Are we talking about the same Inuyasha?'

'Don't be ridiculous. You are pretty good at making out people's personalities. You know I am right'.

I didn't say anything. She was right indeed. I had gotten to know Inuyasha better during our late night conversations, and around other people he definitely acted more outgoing and sure of himself than he actually was. I just didn't know why he was like that—he never talked about his personal life as much as he forced me to talk about mine—because he actually had all the physical and mental characteristics to back up his cockiness.

'See? I knew I was right.' Sango said. She put her index finger in front of my mouth to shush me when I opened my mouth to reply. 'Fine, I'll stop.' She sighed and continued. 'Ok, now. Let's find a dress that'll make _everyone else_ drool.'


	8. Prom Weekend

**Chapter 8: Prom Weekend**

**Saturday, 10:20am**

On Saturday I was awaken by a call from an excited Sango.

'He did it!' I heard giggles.

'Who did … (yawn) … what?'

'Miroku asked me to prom!'

'It took him long enough… Congratulations sweetie.'

'Thanks!' I heard more giggles. 'By the way, are you ok? You sound unhappy.'

'I am fine. I just woke up.'

'I woke you up? I am sorry.'

'Don't worry about it.'

'Ok'

'I am truly happy for you.' I paused to yawn again. 'So, how did he do it?'

'He came by my house about ten minutes ago. He had flowers, and when I opened the door he kneeled down and asked me.'

'Typical Miroku' I said, as I tried not to laugh. 'I wonder what trick he has up his sleeve for when he actually proposes; he kind of just used up the traditional way.'

'What are you-? Propose? We are not even going out!'

'Wow, ok, calm down, it was a joke. Don't hyperventilate on me.' I stood up and walked over to my dresser 'Hold on a sec'. I placed my cell on the dresser and quickly brushed and put my hair up in a messy bun. Then I grabbed the phone and went over to my closet to look for an outfit. 'I'm back'.

'Ok.' She paused 'Look, I'm sorry about snapping at you like that… I am just very nervous. It's the first date of my life.'

'I know, and you don't have anything to worry about.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. Miroku might be a bit of a pervert, but he is a good, caring, and attentive person; and especially towards you.' Sango did not say anything, since she knew as well as me that this was true. 'I mean, just look at how he asked you to prom.'

'You are right.'

'Yes. And if you still feel anxious tomorrow, don't forget I will be there for you. We can leave whenever, and if he tries something, I will hurt him.'

'Awesome'. This definitely put Sango in a better mood. 'By the way, I'm really sorry about leaving you without a "date"… I don't want you to think that I am the kind of friend who blows you off for a boy.'

'C'mon, I know you are not like that. I know you have liked him for a long time and so I understand that this is a great opportunity for you. Besides, I figured that he would end up asking you to prom, so I was ready for it.

'You sure you're ok then?'

'I'm 100 percent _O_-kay.'

'Kagome?' My mom said, after knocking on my door three times.

'Sango, hold on a second again.' I put the phone away from my ear. 'Come in mom.' She did.

'Good morning honey.'

'Good morning.'

'Here are some clean clothes for you.' She put a medium sized straw basket full of clothes on top of my bed. 'There is also still some breakfast left downstairs; or at least there was two minutes ago. You know how much those two eat. You should really hurry if you are hungry.'

'I will be there as soon as I am done talking to Sango'. My mom nodded and then left the room.

'So, what are you going to do about the prom?' Sango continued.

'Since we are going to go as a group anyway I still think that I will be fine without a date.'

'Koga is going to be disappointed.'

'Why is that?' I said as my hand froze in the air while I was pulling out an outfit from my closet.

'Well… When Miroku told him that he was going to ask me to prom Koga realized that you would now be going by yourself. So, he then told Miroku that he would ask you once Miroku asked me.'

'I did not see that coming. Didn't he say yes to that freshman who asked him a few days ago?'

'He told her "maybe", that it would depend on what you were doing.'

'Man… When will he learn that I don't want him that way?' I angrily threw the clothes I'd picked out on the bed and then sat on my desk chair. 'How much clearer can I be?'

'He knows; he is just in denial.' She paused for a second. 'He is still very much in love with you.'

'I hate hurting him like this, but I don't know what to do anymore. The best thing for him would probably be to completely cut him off from my life. That's impossible though, considering we have gone to the same school and have had the same friends since forever.'

'Quite impossible, I agree.'

'But even if I could cut him off… I don't think I would, you know? He is too important to me. I mean, he was my other best friend before we went out.' I briefly looked at one of the pictures on top of my desk which showed Sango, Koga, and myself hugging and smiling happily at my 12th birthday party. 'Why did I listen to those stupid, hormonal beings I call friends?'

'I think it would have happened anyway without their help. You two were very close, and he always adored you.'

'I guess.' I paused and sighed. 'Well, I should get off the phone if I want to get to eat some food.'

'Ok. Talk to you later!'

'See ya.'

After hanging up I put on a pair of skinny dark blue jeans and a fitting, white, long sleeved blouse. Then I put on my slippers and went downstairs.

**Dining Room**

'That one is mine!' yelled Izanagi.

'The hell it is!' yelled Inuyasha.

I stood at the dinning room entrance staring at the two so-called "men" brawling noisily inside. Inuyasha and Izanagi were practically on the floor wrestling over the last piece of bacon, which, unfortunately, ended up falling to the floor.

'Now look what you did old man!'

'You touched it last!'

'Stop it already!' yelled my mom next to me. She had come to see what all the commotion was about. 'I am making more bacon, but if you want to be able to eat it stop acting like children. And clean the floor immediately please!' She then went back to the kitchen. I chuckled slightly at the situation. That's when they noticed me.

'Ah, good morning little lady' Izanagi said cheerfully, as always.

'Hey' Inuyasha said, mainly paying attention to the food remains in his plate.

They were now both sitting at the table, where there was barely any food left, which is probably why their confrontation had started.

'Good morning.' I replied politely as I sat at the table, facing Inuyasha.

'Excited for the prom?'

'Sure' I nodded and placed a tiny portion of scrambled eggs on my plate.

'Just, "sure"? I have to say I was expecting a bit more of excitement.' He did a weird shaky gesture with his hands and arms, which I guess he considered to suggest "excitement".

'It's just that some of my friends have been talking and worrying about it way too much, and they have made this week somewhat tiring for me and Sango. It should still be fun though'.

'Right, I understand.' He took a bite out of his toast. He swallowed. 'Who is taking you? If you don't mind me asking.' Inuyasha stopped looking at his plate for a second to look first at Izanagi, and then at me.

'Well, I was going to go with Sango, since neither of us had a date. However, she called me this morning to tell me that Miroku had asked her. So, I don't actually have a date right now.'

'You don't have a date?' My mom said unexpectedly from the doorway. She brought the bacon she had promised and put it on the table. 'I thought you just used Sango as an excuse to not tell me who it really was.'

I sighed. My mom paused and thought for a few seconds.

'Well, don't worry honey. We'll figure something out. Actually, maybe the neighbors' son is free tomorrow night. I'll call him right away!' She started heading toward the living room.

'No, wait! I don't need a date mom, I am ok. I am going with all of my friends.'

'Kagome, don't be silly. It's a prom! You _need_ a date. Otherwise it would be just like any other day.'

'I don't wear sexy dresses every day.' I said, remembering the one Sango made me buy on Friday.

'Sure you don't…' my mom said quite inconvincibly.

I heard Inuyasha chuckle at that point, and so did my mom.

'Maybe you could go with Inuyasha.' Her face lit up momentaneously.

'Of course! What do you think son?' Izanagi asked Inuyasha. He was about to say something, but I wanted to end the conversation as soon and comfortably as possible, so I spoke before him.

'No, mom, he has a girlfriend.'

'Right…' said both adults. At that moment the phone rang, and so my mom left the room to go get it. Izanagi followed behind, probably going to the living room to watch some TV, his stomach now fully satisfied. I breathed relived. Finally a little break! Now, what could I do about my mom…?

'You could join us two if you wanted.' Inuyasha said suddenly, bringing me back to reality.

My first reaction to this was shock, then confusion. Did he really just ask me if I wanted to be half his date? Why would he do that? I mean, doesn't he know that Ayumi would be hurt and would probably kill me when he wasn't looking? Is he really that clueless to his girlfriend's emotions? Or, does he just not care? But, why wouldn't he care? Why would he put his relationship in jeopardy for me? Why… am I thinking about this so much?

'Kagome!'

'What?' I said as I was once again brought back to reality.

'Did you hear what I said?' I had zoned out for about 20 seconds, and Inuyasha was looking at me straight in the eyes with a puzzled expression and… and the cutest blushed cheeks?

'Yeah, I did.' I said, trying to be as calm as possible and trying to ignore my speeding heartbeat. 'Thank you, but I don't think Ayumi would like that.' To be honest I would have enjoyed Inuyasha's company, but with Ayumi there his suggestion was not an option.

'But you're friends. Friends help each other out.'

'That's not the issue.'

'Then, what is?' He looked more serious now.

Why was he pushing it so much? Most boys see prom as a chance to "have a good time" with their girls, whatever that means for each individual, but Inuyasha wanted to take his step sister to prom with him and his date!

I decided to be honest with him and then get out of there as soon as possible. I took a deep breath.

'Look, I don't know how your relationship works or to what extent you have gotten to know Ayumi in the last few weeks. But in case you are still strangers and a bit clueless about each other I am going to give you some pointers.'

He was still looking right at me with those gorgeous eyes of his. It was actually a bit hard to concentrate. I broke the eye contact for a second and took a deep breath, then continued.

'You are Ayumi's first boyfriend. She had wanted one for years, but none of the guys she was interested in were, as she put it, "within her league". Since she was aware of this she never asked them out. The one time she risked it was when she asked you, and you said yes. This is why this relationship is a huge deal to her. She has finally gotten what she wanted for so long!' I paused. 'I am pretty sure that Ayumi has gotten to like you a lot in these last weeks. Now, the prom is the first real date she has ever had, and is an opportunity to show everyone at school how happy she is with you. She spent hours looking for a dress that will make you drool, and she wants to dance with you all night…' I had to stop soon. I was getting nervous and I had unconsciously started to talk faster. 'In short, I cannot take the experience away from her by joining you. It's not fair to her …or you.'

Inuyasha stared at me for a few more seconds; it looked like he was having some kind of debate going on within. Finally, the debate seemed to reach a conclusion.

'I guess you're right.'

I nodded. I was pretty sure I was right. It made me feel sick though.

'I'm going to go to my room now. I need to check how much homework I have for Monday.'

'Sure.' He stayed there as I stood up and walked toward the door. Before exiting the room, however, I felt like I needed to say something else, so I turned around and said:

'Thanks for offering though. I truly appreciate it.' I smiled.

'No problem.' He smiled back.

**Saturday, 6:30pm**

'Kagome, there is someone at the door for you!' yelled my mom from downstairs.

'Coming!' I yelled back from my room. I was feeling quite hyper, most likely from the huge chocolate bar I had consumed about half an hour earlier, so I happily skipped down the stairs. However, I froze instantaneously as I saw who my visitor was. 'Oh crap', I thought.

'Hi… Koga.' I felt my previously sky-high sugar levels drop instantaneously.

'Hi Kagome! How are you doing?'

'I will leave you two alone now.' My mom said as she let me through and went into the living room.

'So, Koga, what brings you here?' I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

'Well, I was hoping you would grant me the pleasure of accompanying you to the dance tomorrow.'

'Koga…'

'We would be going as friends.' He said quickly before I could reply.

I sighed. 'If that was the case I would go with you but… how can I be sure that it wouldn't mean anything more to you?'

'It wouldn't, I swear!'

'You can't control your feelings.'

'There are no feelings to control!'

'What? But, you've still been behaving like if… like if you still liked me.'

'I will always have special feelings for you. But I like someone new now.'

'R-really? Who is it?' This really caught me off-guard.

'Eri.'

'Are you kidding?' Was this really happening? Was the guy who had loved me unconditionally for years finally over me?

'What's wrong with Eri?'

'Nothing! It's just… you caught me off guard… I am very happy for you!' I said truthfully.

'Thanks.'

'So, why don't you ask her to the dance?

'When I realized my feelings for her she already had a date. And since I heard that Miroku was going to ask Sango I realized my former best friend would be in need for a date, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask you.' He smiled.

'Thank you.' I smiled back.

'Is that a yes?'

'I think it is.'

'Awesome!'

**Sunday, Prom Day**

Just as the patience of most female students was about to run out Sunday finally arrived, and so did the dance. Ayumi decided that she wanted us to make a grand entrance for "the boys' pleasure", so we met at her house in the early afternoon to start getting ready and then drive all together to the dance.

'Hey Sango, do you want me to do your makeup?' asked Eri.

'Sure… but remember I like very light and natural-looking make up. And please don't do what you did last time!'

Last time Eri had done Sango's make up was for Yuka's 15th birthday and… she really looked like a hooker. All the parents who didn't know her left the party with an image of Sango that was definitely not the right one. Sango never wore make up again after that. So the fact that she was letting Eri do her make up again definitely showed that she had a goal in mind—maybe to impress someone?

'I promise I won't!' said Eri, her hands grabbing one of Sango's. 'I have gotten much better since then. Ask Yuka and Ayumi. I do theirs every time we go out.'

'No need. I already said yes. But, Kagome, since you are here this time, could you keep an eye one her?'

'Sure.' I chuckled. Last time it had only been Eri and Sango getting ready, so Sango was now taking advantage of the fact that there were more "witnesses".

My make up was done already and, as Yuka was finishing my hair, Ayumi stepped out from her walk-in closet wearing her dress. She would definitely be getting a lot of attention tonight. I mean, for starters, she would probably be the only one wearing a long dress. Also she looked quite sexy wearing it—apparently she had made a few changes to it since I saw it last, so it looked sexy rather than slutty. Finally, her date was _him_, the currently most wanted guy at our school.

'What do you think gals?'

'You look A-MAZING!' Eri said loudly.

'Every guy is going to melt when they see you!' Yuka added, as she acted out what that specific situation might look like.

'It's great.' Sango said, not very enthusiastically though, since she was still too worried about what Eri had been doing to her face for the last few minutes.

'You look good.' I said without really thinking, trying to avoid thinking about what Inuyasha's reaction to her attire would be like.

(I described the dress in the previous chapter but here is the link to what it would be: .)

**Sunday, 8:30pm**

The prom had begun at 8:00pm, so a bunch of people were already there. Some of them were dancing, but most were still standing in groups or sitting by themselves waiting for their friends or dates to arrive.

'Why aren't they here yet?' Kouga said as he tapped his foot.

'You know them. They are always later than they say. I think it is on purpose so that we can take a better look at them. I kind of like it actually.' Miroku grinned.

'You would'. Inuyasha chuckled. He had become really fond of Miroku and his perverted ways throughout these last weeks.

'Hey guys'. The three boys looked up. Ayumi was standing there by herself (Eri and Yuka had gone to find their dates), the biggest smile on her face.

'Hey' Inuyasha and Miroku said. Kouga was too busy looking around for someone else. Ayumi got closer to Inuyasha.

'What do you think?'

'You look good.' Inuyasha replied. He smiled politely.

'Thanks! I am glad you like the dress.'

'Wow…' Kouga said. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Ayumi turned around to look at where Kouga was looking. All the boys' mouths fell open as they saw Kagome and Sango approaching.

Sango looked beautiful in her purple dress, and I could actually see Miroku drooling a little bit from the corner of his mouth.

**Inuyasha POV **

_Kagome was wearing a burgundy and black dress. The see-through black tulle covered the burgundy satin base. There was a black satin band around the waist and black embroidered ornaments covering the tulle at the bust line and at the hem of the dress. She was also wearing very simple and elegant 2 ½ inch black heels. It was hard to keep my eyes off her._

(Dress Image: .?id=4063&vendorid=AD&imageno=1)

**Ayumi POV **

_I noticed Inuyasha staring at Kagome a bit too intensely for my liking. Why wasn't he looking at me like that? I know that Kagome is prettier than me, but they are like sibling! I will make him notice me and all I have to offer. And I will kiss him tonight! I grabbed his arm and made sure to press my breasts against it to increase my chances of success. 'Inuyasha, do you want to dance?'_

_ 'What?' Inuyasha blinked a couple of times before looking down at Ayumi._

_ 'Do you want to dance?' She said again, now with a bit of a frown._

_ 'Uh, sure.'_

As I walked in next to Sango I noticed the three boys staring at us intensely. And few seconds later, however, Ayumi grabbed Inuyasha's arm and then dragged him to the dance floor. Koga then came towards me, holding a red rose.

'Kagome, you look beautiful.' Koga said.

'Thanks' I replied as I smiled and grabbed the rose.

'Do you want to dance?'

'Well… I don't know. We just got here.'

'C'mon Kags, it'll be fun!'

Even though Koga had now finally gotten over me, I still found the idea of having his hands around my waist a bit awkward. In addition, the fact that people were already staring at us inquisitively just because we came together (the whole school knew about Koga's persistent love for me), did not make prom dancing more appealing. '_What did I get myself into?_'

'Pretty please...?' He said with bright puppy eyes. I looked around and saw that all of our friends were already at the dance floor. '_I guess there isn't anything better to do anyway…_'

'Fine, let's dance.'

'My lady.' Koga said as he placed his arm in a way so that I would be able to place my own arm around it.

We walked towards the dance floor. Once there, Koga put his hands on each side of my waist and I put mine on his shoulders. We were pretty much dancing like middle schoolers. It felt weird at first to be that close to him, but after a few minutes it was kind of comforting. As we danced we talked more than we had in a while, and once again remembered how it felt to be Koga's best friend. Eventually we stopped talking, and I had gotten so comfortable around him that for some stupid reason I ended up leaning my head against his chest, and the rest of our bodies were now actually touching. At some point the music stopped, and I straightened my head and looked up at him to tell him something that I had been thinking about while we were quiet. I cannot longer remember what was on my mind however, since it went completely blank as I saw Koga leaning down towards me and then felt his lips on mine.


	9. Fun & Lies

'Koga, what the hell are you doing?' I said as I pushed him away from me. I kept my arms straight and my hands on his chest to stop him in case he tried to kiss me again. His hands were still on my waist, stopping me from getting too far.

'I lied Kagome. I am so sorry, but I just can't stop loving you! Believe me, I have tried very hard change my feelings. But now I know that you are the only one I can ever love!'

'What the hell are you talking about? You are 17 years old Koga! You have all your life ahead of you and uncountable girls to meet. You are just being stubborn and overdramatic! And get your hands off of me!' I finally pushed him hard enough to get him away from me. I started walking away from him, but soon turned around and added. 'By the way, your lie just ruined our last chance of becoming close friends again.'

I moved once again towards the gym exit. I looked at Sango as I walked near her and she seemed quite happy with Miroku. _'I am sorry Sango. I know I promised to stay around but…'_ I looked back and saw Koga following me. _'… I have to get out of here'_.

'Kagome wait!'

Koga was getting closer, so I started walking faster. Too fast, actually. Before I could even notice what had happened I found myself laying on the floor, with Koga, Sango, and Miroku looking down on me, and a horrible headache beginning to form at the back of my head.

'Kagome are you ok?' Koga asked.

'Talk to me sweetie, please!' Sango said as she held my hand within one of hers, and brushed some hair off my face with the other.

'What… happened?'

'You stepped on a spilled drink and slipped. Then you hit your head and lost consciousness for about 7 seconds.'

'That explains my headache… Ouch…" I touched the back of my head and felt a big bump beginning to form.'

'Kagome!' I turned my head towards the familiar voice. It was Inuyasha. He was running towards the spot where I had fallen. Once he got there he kneeled next to my body.

'Kags, are you ok?' He lightly caressed my hair a couple of times as he said this, and then kept his hand there as I replied.

'My head hurts…'

'I bet it does. I saw you fall from the other side of the gym, and it looked rough. I'm sure you'll be alright though,' he stroked my hair once more, 'you can be very "hardheaded".' He smiled.

I started feeling my face heat up as I took in his caring expression and smile. Additionally, his touch was making me forget about all that had happened in the last few minutes.

'Kagome your face is reddening, are you feeling worse?' Sango asked. This made me blush even more.

'No, I'm…'

'Kagome, what happened?' Eri asked.

She had just arrived with Yuka and Ayumi. '_They must have been in the restroom together_' I figured. Then, as I took in Ayumi's expression, I remembered the location of Inuyasha's hand on my hair, still stroking it now and then. In fact, it felt as if he hadn't even noticed her arrival, or as if he was completely ignoring it. I felt the tension rising, but I didn't want to embarrass or hurt him by telling him to stop, so I decided to just look away from Ayumi and hoped that I would be able to get up and leave as soon as possible.

'She slipped and hit her head.' Miroku replied.

'We should take her to the hospital.' Sango suggested.

'Oh, no. No, no, no. I hate hospitals. Besides, I'm fine. See?' I attempted to get up, but did it too fast and fell back as my head began spinning furiously. Thankfully, two pairs of strong arms grabbed me before my head found the ground once more. I looked at both sides of me and saw Inuyasha to my left and Koga to my right. Inuyasha was worryingly staring at me, while Koga stared at Inuyasha with an angry expression. 'I don't want to go to the hospital…' I pleaded at Inuyasha.

'Don't worry, I'll take you home.' Inuyasha said as he completely disregarded Koga's arms and picked me up on his arms all the way. He started walking towards the exit but was stopped by Koga, who moved to stand right in front of him.

'She needs to go to the hospital.'

'No, Koga. I don't.'

'I will keep an eye on her tonight. If something feels weird I will take her. I give you my word.'

'I don't trust you.'

'But I do.' I said sternly, an angry expression forming on my face as to remind him that I did not want anything to do with him anymore.

'I do too'. Sango added.

Koga stood there for about 4 more seconds before finally walking away towards the crowd.

'He's quite hardheaded himself. No wonder you two were together.'

'Never again…' I mumbled.

'What?'

'Nothing.'

'Kagome, do you want me to go home with you as well? Sango said.

'Thanks, but I'll be fine. You stay and keep having fun.'

'Ok, but call me as soon as you wake up tomorrow. Promise?'

'Promise.'

'Don't take your eyes off of her.' She ordered Inuyasha while pointing a finger at him.

'I won't.'

'Ok, then. Well, good night to both of you!' She turned around and began walking towards Miroku, who had stayed behind with Eri, Yuka and… Ayumi.

'Wait!' I yelled. Inuyasha stopped immediately.

'What? Are you feeling worse?'

'No, but I know someone who will.' I signaled with my head towards where Ayumi was standing. She was looking at us with an expression that indicated both hurt and anger. I could easily tell towards which of us each emotion was directed.

'You're right. Can you stand for a second?' He asked.

'Yeah.' I replied.

He slowly put me down next to a pole, so that I could lean on it or hold it in case I felt dizzy again, before he left me to go talk to Ayumi.

'I'm screwed in so many levels…' I said when Inuyasha was out of earshot.

From my spot I watched him talk to Ayumi. It was very brief, which probably meant that she immediately accepted whatever it was he told her. They hadn't been going out long enough for her to say something that would jeopardize their relationship. Ayumi and I, however, had known each other long enough so that she would definitely be letting me know how angry she is tomorrow at school.

'Let's go home.' I hadn't noticed Inuyasha come back to me, since I had been staring intently at Ayumi, trying to get an idea of what was coming to me.

'Ok.' Inuyasha tried to pick me up again.

'I can walk to the car.'

'You sure?'

'Yeah.'

'Ok'

We were quiet during the trip back. I looked out the window most of the time, but every once in a while I looked at Inuyasha driving his dad's car. He looked quite good, especially since he was wearing a black tux, and his bow tie and the first top buttons of his white dress shirt were undone. '_Wait, what am I thinking? Damn Sango!_'

'Home sweet home.' Inuyasha said as he parked the car in front of our house.

The house was dark, but since it was only 10:30, it indicated that our parent's hadn't returned yet from their romantic dinner. Inuyasha opened my door and, ignoring my objections, picked me up as he had before and took me to my room.

'Here you are.' Inuyasha said as he put me down on my bed. 'How are you feeling?'

'My head hurts a bit but overall I'm ok.' I was sitting on the edge of my bed.

'Good. You should change into your pajamas. I will be back in ten minutes with my sleeping bag.'

'Sleeping bag?'

'I promised to keep an eye on you tonight.'

'But you don't need to bring your sleeping bag.'

'Would you rather have me lay on your bed?'

'That's not what I meant!' I felt my face blush.

'I know.' He smiled. 'I'll be back in ten.'

After he closed the door I let my hair down and put on my sleeping shorts and tank top. I didn't feel like taking off my make-up, so I decided to do it the next day. Then I took a pain killer from a container that I kept in my room and drank some water from a bottle that I found in my school bag. Finally, I went to my bed and got under the covers. I was dozing off when I heard the door close. I looked up.

'I'm back.' He was carrying a navy blue sleeping bag which he immediately placed on the ground next to my bed.

'Hi.' I said sleepily. My eyelids started to close again when I was shaken by Inuyasha.

'Sorry Kags, but I can't let you go to sleep for a few hours.'

'Why? I'm really tired and 11pm is a good time to go to sleep.'

'You hit your head and were unconscious.' He lied down on the sleeping bag. 'You need to stay awake for a bit so that I can make sure that everything is ok in there.' He pointed at my head. 'If you don't start acting like a chicken or faint in the next… five hours, I will let you sleep.'

'Five hours? We have school tomorrow!'

'We've done it before.'

'Yeah, and I was a zombie the next day.'

'At least you are a cute zombie. Some girls can't have the luxury of staying up that late without consequences.' He looked at me to see me reaction and smiled. 'Look at you blushing.'

'I'm not!' I quickly reached for the lamp on my night stand and turned the light off so he would stop making fun of my still reddening face. My breathing had quickened too, and the fact that I was sure that he could hear it made me even more nervous.

'That's sad. You look cute when you blush…'

I froze. '_What's his deal?_' I thought. '_He shouldn't be saying things like that to me. I need to figure out what is going through his head once and for all. He can't keep doing this to me?_

_ '_Why do you do that?'

'Do what?'

'Say things like that to me.'

'What kind of things are those?'

'That I'm cute and such. You say it a lot for someone who has a girlfriend.'

'I'm just acknowledging the obvious.'

'Stop it!'

'Well, I'm sorry Kags, but I am a teenage boy and you are a beautiful girl. I can't help it.'

'You have to stop, or you are going to end up hurting Ayumi.'

'Do you not like it when I compliment you?'

'It's not that…' I said without really thinking first. I heard him move on his sleeping bag and faintly saw him laying on his side facing me. I had to continue now… 'It's just really confusing for me, and also other people. When you call me cute or put your arm around my shoulders and other stuff like that it looks like you… like me.'

'I do like you.'

'That's not what I… argh! It's impossible talking to you! I mean like me, you know, romantically.'

'But…'

'Stop. I am tired of trying to get through to you. If you don't want to talk about your relationship that's fine, I won't try again. Goodnight.' I turned around in my bed and was now facing away from him. He didn't say anything else. The last two things I heard that night were him moving around in his sleeping bag and a sigh.


	10. Looking Within Oneself

**Chapter 10**

**Home**

'Kagome?'

'Ummm…'

'Kagome, wake up dear. It's 11:00am.'

'What?' I looked up at my mom, who was sitting at the edge of the bed shaking my shoulder lightly. Then I realized what the deal was. It was Monday!

'Oh Crap!' I got up as if I had been stung by a bee and ran to my closet. 'Why didn't my alarm go off? And why didn't Inuyasha or anybody wake me up? I'm so late!'

'Honey, calm down.' My mom said. Then she came over to me and began braiding my hair. This always calmed me down.

I put down the clothes I had gathered in my arms and tried to relax, since the scare of being late and my sprint to the closet had caused my injured head to start hurting.

'Why wasn't I woken up?'

'Inuyasha told me this morning that you hit your head at the prom, so we decided it would be best if you skipped school today to sleep in. Are you feeling ok?'

'My head hurts a tiny bit when I move it too fast, but that is to expect. I'm fine, don't worry.'

'Ok.' She finished the braid and put a rubber band around the end. 'Are you hungry?'

'Starving.'

'I made you some Miso soup and a bowl of rice. It's all on the stove.'

'Yum! You're awesome!' I kissed her on the cheek and went downstairs to enjoy my day off.

**At School (Third Person)**

'I can't believe she still hasn't called. She promised!' Sango exclaimed as she harshly erased the section of homework that she had just been working on.

'As I've said a hundred times, she is probably still asleep. I will tell her to call you as soon as I get home.' Inuyasha said. Like Sango and most other students, he was doing the homework that he hadn't had time to do because of the prom.

'Calm down my dear, or you are going to poke through your homework with the eraser.' Miroku said. Sango immediately stopped erasing and blushed in response to him calling her "dear". Miroku noticed this and smiled. Then he added; 'Maybe we could go visit her after school.'

'Would that be ok with your family?' Sango asked Inuyasha with hopeful eyes.

'Definitely.'

'It's decided then!' She exclaimed excitedly.

'What's decided?'

'Hey Ayumi!' Miroku said 'We just decided that we are going to visit Kagome after school to see how she's doing. Do you want to join us?'

'Not really. I have other things to do.' She turned toward Inuyasha. 'Can we talk for a sec?'

'Sure.' Inuyasha replied. Then he got up and followed Ayumi out of the classroom.

She took him to a flight of stairs which was now deserted, and both sat down on the first couple of steps.

'What's up?' He asked.

'Well… I was just wondering whether you wanted to go out with me tonight. I have two free tickets to the movies, and afterwards I thought we could go grab a bite. What do you think?' She nervously smiled at him.

'Well…I…'

'Or you could hang out with Kagome and the others as you guys had already planned. I guess we could postpone….'

'That's ok. We'll go out tonight.'

'Really?' Her face lit up.

'I promised you at the prom that I would make it up to you, didn't I?' He smiled.

'Kagome, your friends are here!'

'Coming!' I said as I got off the couch and walked into the hall.

'Kagome!' Sango yelled. Then I was pushed back considerably as she jumped at me and hugged me tightly.

'Sango…Can't…Breathe…' I said.

'Sorry!' She let me go. 'Are you ok? How's your head? I was so worried!'

'I'm completely fine. It was mainly a big scare.'

'Don't worry my dear Sango. As Inuyasha said yesterday, Kagome can be quite "hardheaded."' Miroku said. I heard my mom's giggle coming from behind me.

'Ha, ha, ha. This is fun. Let's make fun of the injured person!' I said sarcastically as I crossed my arms. I wasn't actually offended by the comment, but I was still a bit irritated with Inuyasha, which is why it bothered me.

'Kagome dear, sometimes you r sense of humor is the size of a pea.' My mom said. I tried to protest but she started talking about something completely different before I could mutter a word. 'Sango, Miroku, would you like to stay over for dinner?'

'Sure, thanks.' Sango said.

'That would be lovely.' Miroku followed.

'Great! I will make some more rice and add more beef and vegetables to the stew. It will be ready in 15 minutes!' She walked into the kitchen smiling and actually hopping a little bit.

'She really likes having people over.' I told Miroku. Sango already knew this, since she had been coming to my house for many years.

'Oh, I almost forgot! Mrs. Higurashi!'

'Yes dear?' My mom poked her head out through the kitchen entrance.

'Inuyasha wanted me to let you know that he is not coming home for dinner.'

'Really? That's a shame! He loves my beef stew.'

'Why isn't he coming?' I asked a bit nervously.

I really hoped that he wasn't avoiding me, even though he had all the right to be mad. I mean, I did mess up his prom night, made his girlfriend angry _and_ sad, and finally snapped at him when he was staying up late on a Sunday night just to take care of me. Before anybody replied, I saw Sango looking at me and I realized from her expression that I was not going to like what was coming.

'He's gone on a date with Ayumi. They left together from school.' Miroku said.

Sango had been right (as usual); I did not like that answer. I tried to hide my aversion by answering nonchalantly.

'Oh well, it's about time. It was kind of weird that they hadn't been on a date after going out for two weeks.'

'Definitely weird. For both their sakes I hope that they will finally kiss tonight.' Miroku said. Then he looked around him to make sure my mom wasn't around, and gestured us to get closer to him. He whispered: 'And if he is lucky, they might even do more than kissing. If you know what I mean…' He smirked.

_Slap!_

'What was that?' My mom asked from the kitchen.

'I clapped my hands Mrs. Higurashi.' Sango yelled as a bright red handprint began showing on Miroku's face. 'I am sorry if I somehow offended you, my dear Sango. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable.'

'Just don't talk about Inuyasha that way again.'

'Ok…'

I had just stayed quiet and fidgeting after Miroku's comment. Sango knew how much it bothered me to hear about Inuyasha's and Ayumi's relationship, so she just looked at me with a worried expression on her face.

'Hey Miroku, why don't you go watch some TV while I explain to Kagome the material that we went over today in class?' Sango asked.

'Don't mind if I do.' He went into the living room and I heard the TV turn on as Sango and I went up the stairs towards my room.

'So, did you guys do a lot today?' I asked, still feeling a bit down. I looked for my textbooks and notebook.

'That's not why I brought you up here.' Sango said.

'What? But you said…'

'I wanted to talk to you about what just happened.'

'Don't worry about Miroku. He's been slapped so often that he is practically immune.'

'I meant what happened when Miroku made the comment about Inuyasha and Ayumi kissing and—'

'I don't need a reminder! I know what he said.'

'And you looked so sad.'

'I'm not sad. I am just…worried that he is angry at me for snapping at him last night.'

'You snapped at him? What did he do?'

'Once again he began saying inappropriate things to me. You know how he calls me beautiful and other stuff which he should only be saying to his girlfriend? Well, I told him to explain why he did it and he completely avoided the question. For instance, I told him that the stuff he does makes it look like he likes me, and he replied 'I do like you'. Argh! He can be so frustrating.'

'He said that he likes you?'

'It is not what you are thinking. He always does that in order to avoid answering very personal questions.'

'But what if he meant it?'

'He didn't!'

'You don't know that.'

'He has a girlfriend.'

'So? That doesn't prove that he doesn't like you.'

'But he can't like me... we're—'

'—not related Kagome. Your parents might be going out, but you two are neither siblings nor related in any way that would make liking each other wrong.'

'I don't—'

'Fine! I will not tell you again that you two have feelings for each other.' Sango paused to calm herself down. 'But, please, do me a favor. Tonight, when you are in bed relaxed and ready to go to sleep, please think about what Inuyasha really means to you. And don't just ignore the possibility that you might actually like him. Look for the true feelings which hide inside your heart.'

'Dinner's ready!' We heard my mom yell from downstairs.

'Let's go or the food's going to get cold.' Sango said.

'Yeah…' I replied. As I went downstairs I started feeling butterflies in my stomach as I thought about what I might find out later tonight.

**Eleven O'clock**

At 11pm my friends were long gone and I was sitting in our living room watching TV with my mom and Izanagi. We were watching an action movie featuring Misako Koizumi, a beautiful sixteen year old model who had recently become Japan's newest sensation.

'How old is this girl? Eighteen?' My mom asked.

'Sixteen.' I replied. I only knew this because Eri, Ayumi and Yuki are obsessed with her, and throughout the last month they had spent several hours just talking to me about her style, personal life, etc… Actually, I wasn't even paying attention to the movie. My attention was fixed on the white clock hanging from the wall.

'I guess the make-up makes her look older. But I have seen her in magazines without make-up and she's still really cute. Don't you guys think? In a few years she is going to be a real beauty.'

'Uhuh…' I kept looking back and forth between the TV and clock.

'She ate at my restaurant once, back in Hiroshima. That was a year ago I think… Yeah. I remember talking to her about Inuyasha. I think I also showed her a picture. Before leaving the restaurant she said that she would like to meet him, so she asked me to tell Inuyasha to send her a Facebook message.

'Did they ever meet?' My mom asked, loving this kind of gossip.

'I told Inuyasha about her later that night, but he said that he wasn't interested.'

'But she's gorgeous! _And_ she's a model.

'He said that she wasn't his type.'

'What is his type then?'

'I asked the same question. Apparently he likes dark haired women, with a thin but still athletic body type, brown eyes, who are intelligent, fun, caring and, quote 'in love with life'. I think they also need to enjoy reading and be relatively active. So, even though Misako was nice, she did not stand a chance with her blond hair and blue eyes.'

'Interesting…' My mom said quietly. She seemed to be thinking hard. 'Kagome honey, what does your friend Ayumi look like? I forgot.'

I had been listening intently to the conversation; enjoying the fact that now I knew a bit more about Inuyasha. Ayumi's name, however, brought me back to the frustrating reality of waiting for Inuyasha to come back from his date.

'Well… She has dark hair and brown eyes. She does not play sports but she's pretty thin… I guess he found someone close enough to his dream girl.' I said, with a fake smile on my face. 'I'm really tired. I think I'm gonna go to sleep.' I stood up.

'Ok. Goodnight honey.'

'Goodnight, little lady.'

Before exiting the room I turned around to finally ask something that I had wanted to know for the last few hours.

'Izanagi, what's Inuyasha's curfew? Because Miroku invited both of us to go to a party he'll be throwing next week and wanted to know when we'll be available to set an ending time that'll work for everyone. Mine is eleven thirty on weekdays and two on the weekends.' It was all true , but that wasn't the main reason for my question.

'I actually changed it when he turned seventeen. It's twelve thirty on weekdays and three on weekends.'

'Twelve thirty? And he gets enough sleep to do fine in school the next day?' My mom asked.

'He does completely fine on only a few hours of sleep, unlike me. Also, even though he was allowed, he almost never came back that late, since his friends' curfew was earlier.'

'Sneaky.' She cuddled closer to him and slowly kissed him on the cheek.

'Ok… Well, thank you. Goodnight. ' I waved and left quickly since their lovey-dovey act was making me uncomfortable. Once in my room, I put on my pajamas and got into bed, feeling completely exhausted even though I had slept for eleven hours the night before. I looked at the alarm clock on my nightstand. Eleven thirty.

'They have been out for so many hours… What the hell are they doing?' I said to myself as I looked out the window from my bed. Just then, the memory of what Miroku said came back to haunt me: '_**And if he is lucky, they might even do more than kissing. If you know what I mean…**__'_

'Damn Miroku.' I cursed, covering my head with my pillow.

After a few seconds I placed the pillow back on its rightful location and looked at my alarm clock once again. '_Less than one hour till curfew…_ _Ugh, and I can't get the image of them out of my mind._'

I could stand neither the wait nor the stupid image any longer, so I decided to focus all of my attention on something which would hopefully turn out to be useful.

'…_**think about what Inuyasha really means to you…'**_

Sango's request materialized in my head.

'_What he means to me…What does he mean to me? He's my good friend. He's someone I enjoy hanging out with. Someone I feel comfortable and safe with. Someone I love talking to… _

_Love… I don't really know whether my feelings are those of love. Probably not. I am too young to be in love. Aren't I?_

…_**don't just ignore the possibility that you might actually like him …**_

_Love… But my heart does beat like crazy when I see him. And it feels like electricity when we touch. And when he looks at me with those eyes, and grants me with this smile, which I noticed he only uses with me (my smile)… I can feel like he…loves me…_

_Love… But that makes no sense. He asked someone else out. Someone who is practically his ideal woman... If he loved me he would have asked me out, not her… But even if he loved me, which I doubt he does, he wouldn't ask me because our parents are going out, and that would be weird…_

_Love… But we are not related…It shouldn't be a problem…And he's shown signs that he might like me… He calls me beautiful, stays up late to talk to me, takes care when I am hurt and comforts me when I am sad…He treats me like I'm special… even more special than…_

_There is no way._

I put my arms over my eyes, feeling like I had just lost an internal battle by a lot. A few minutes passed, and just as I was about to fall asleep I saw a light from the corner of my eye. It was coming from outside. I got up, knowing its source.

And there he was, wearing dark jeans and a fitting white t-shirt. He was now getting out of the car and coming into the house. The front door closed. Footsteps were closing in. I felt an unknown force make me go back to bed and fake sleep. '_What's wrong with me? As if he was going to come into my room at midnight—_'

The doorknob made a noise as it was turned. I froze. I could hear his food steps getting closer to my bed. Then, they stopped.

My heart was racing when I felt his hand touch my cheek. His hand was a bit chilly from being outside, but his touch was like a feather's. Then his hand moved to stroke my hair, and he pulled a lose strand behind my ear. Suddenly, his touch left me. However I knew that he was still there, since I hadn't heard anymore footsteps. Seconds went by and I was getting nervous from having Inuyasha just stare at me as I 'slept'. '_Why is he—_

_KISSING ME?_'

He was kissing me! It wasn't my imagination. I knew I was wide awake when I felt his lips touch the right corner of my mouth. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was enough to make me dizzy.

I felt his lips leave my skin, and shortly after I heard his footsteps moving towards the door. It opened and closed, and thus I was left alone.

And there, at that precise moment, I realized what I had known for a while but was too stubborn to acknowledge.

Inuyasha likes me and I love him.


	11. Things Are About To Change

**Chapter 11**

"Why did he kiss me?" I mumbled as I lightly moved my fingers to the place where his lips had laid. I was sitting on the edge of the bed in my pajamas, replaying in my head what had taken place that night for the hundredth time. However, it wasn't just the kiss what kept me up all night, but also the realization that, for the first time in my life, I was in love.

"Kagome, breakfast's ready!" My mom yelled from downstairs.

"I'll come down in a sec!" I stood up and walked to my dresser to get a rubber band to fix my hair. "Ugh, I look horrible." I said as I looked at the reflection of my tired face in the mirror. I put my hair up and then went to the bathroom to wash my teeth and face. "I guess I look a bit better now…" I said, not totally convinced.

I walked out of the bathroom and went downstairs to get breakfast. My heart beat faster as I got closer to where he currently was, and I feared what my reaction would be when finally I saw him. I hoped that I wouldn't let him know how I had been awake when he kissed me.

"Finally, there you are dear. How are you feeling?" My mom said as she came out of the living room.

"All better." I smiled.

"Good." She smiled back. "I left you some food on the table. I have to leave now, and Izanagi and Inuyasha are done eating, but they will still be around for a bit so you won't be all alone."

"Ok. Have a good day at work!"

"Thanks dear." She said as she put on her shoes at the house entrance.

I turned left and went into the living room. There I found Izanagi watching some obnoxious early morning TV show. Well, that's what I thought until I got closer and saw that his eyes were completely closed and his mouth wide open. I couldn't help but giggle.

"He's never been a morning person." I heard coming from somewhere behind me. I turned around and there he was, coming into the living room wearing dark blue sweat pants and no T-shirt whatsoever.

"Good morning, Inuyasha…" I tried very hard not to blush or show the nervousness that rose within me due to him being around _and_, to top it all, half naked.

"Good morning." He walked towards the free couch while eating an apple and then sat down.

I kept staring at him almost unconsciously, replaying the memory in my head and then trying to figure out his motive once again. I don't know how long had passed by the time I heard Inuyasha talk to me.

"Kagome are you ok? Is there some apple on my face?" He touched his lips and chin.

"Uh, no. No, I was just thinking about something important and it just happened that I was looking in your direction. My eyes weren't even focusing on anything in particular. Has that happened to you?" I smiled, but I was pretty sure that my story wasn't very convincing.

"Yeah…" he replied.

'_Damn it, he can feel my awkwardness! I have to get out of here!_' I thought.

"I'm…uh… going to get ready for school now." I walked towards the door.

"Aren't you gonna eat something?"

I looked to my left at the lonely plate sitting on the table. I was quite hungry, but I had already failed enough in my attempt at indifference to stay in a room with him any longer.

"I'm not hungry. You can have it." I left the room without looking back and went upstairs.

Before I even opened the door to my room I heard my phone ringing like crazy. '_It's probably Sango, considering how early it is_.' I thought. I went into the room and got my phone from the desk. It was indeed Sango.

"Hey Sango"

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully.

"Why are you so excited?" I started to look in the closet for clothes to wear."What happened to you?"

"It's not to me that something great has happened."

"It's too early for guessing Sango. What's up?"

"Ayumi and Inuyasha are no longer going out!"

"What?" A pair of pants fell out of my hand. I couldn't have heard that. It was my imagination.

"They broke up!"

"Wh-When?" I sat down on my bed.

"Last night! They ended up breaking up by the end of their date."

"Who told you this?" I still couldn't believe it.

"Eri. Ayumi called her this morning, and you know Eri. She can't keep her mouth closed for too long."

"I can't believe it."

"Have you seen him today?"

"Yes, and he seemed normal. Not at all like someone who has just been through a break up."

"Well, he does like somebody else."

I was silent for a bit, no longer feeling the need to contradict this kind of comments which Sango liked so much.

"Kagome?"

"Uh?"

"You didn't say anything."

"About what?"

"My comment. You usually deny all of them." She paused. "Oh my God! You did what I told you and it worked, didn't it? You realized your feelings!"

"Yeah" I felt myself blush. "Yes, I…I love him… I shouldn't, but I do. I should have listened to you earlier."

"weetie, I'm so happy it worked. How are you feeling?"

"Confused"

"Don't worry, that's completely normal. You had never been in love before."

"That's not the main reason though. It feels strange and awkward to be around him, like I expected, but…"

"But, what?"

"I think you were right too about Inuyasha liking me."

"Really? Why?"

"Something happened last night."

"Something… like what?" She got serious.

"He kissed me."

"He did what?" I could tell by her tone of voice that her mouth was hanging open out of astonishment. "But, when did it happen? He was on the date until late, according to what Eri told me."

"Right after he got back from the date he came to my room."

"You should have told me that before! What did you say? What did he say?"

"He… thought I was asleep."

"But you weren't."

"I was faking."

"Ah... Well, in any case, congratulations sweetie! Everything is unraveling like it should." The she paused. "Wait. Why did you say that you are confused then? You seem to have everyone's feelings in order now. I don't understand."

"It's just… I don't know what to do now. The guy I love is single and likes me back but… he's my mom's boyfriend's son, and he went out and just broke up with one of my good friends. If I went for it I could hurt so many people…"

"I know sweetie."

"But I really want to be with him." I sighed. "I feel so happy and safe when I am with him. When he looks at me I feel so sure of myself and… special. I feel how much he cares. And those late night talks we've had… they are among the most precious moments of my life. I don't—" I felt my eyes tearing up.

"Kags, c'mon we gotta go!" Inuyasha yelled as he knocked on my locked door. I jumped up, frightened by his sudden appearance.

"You go ahead, I will be a bit longer." I yelled back nervously.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Fine. See you at school!" I heard his footsteps moving away and then going down the stairs.

"_Kagome?_" I heard coming from my cell, which I had forgotten about.

"Yes Sango, sorry."

"Do you think he heard you talking?" She asked.

"No, I don't think so. My door is pretty thick, and if he had been listening he would probably have stayed longer to listen, since I wasn't done talking."

"I guess it doesn't matter if he heard anyways. You will be telling him how you feel soon enough."

"I will?"

"Yes." She sighed. "Kagome, you have always been there for other people, but never for yourself. You have taken care of your single mom all of your life, making her happy and never worrying her by being a good student and an overly obedient daughter, even when you became a teenager and were supposed to defy your parents. You cared for me and taught me to enjoy life more back when I was fat and made fun of, even though other kids then made fun of you for being pretty and choosing to hang out with me rather than with the popular kids. You even went out with Koga just to make him, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka happy! And there are so many other examples. C'mon sweetie, worry about yourself for once. Make yourself happy!"

"I really want to… But what if my mom finds out and leaves Izanagi. She's never been this happy before."

"You are doing it again."

"It's an important thing to think about. I can't just ignore it." I really wanted to ignore it, but…

"You wouldn't be doing anything wrong because you are not related by blood. You are just two people who happened to fall in love. And if your parent's love is so strong they will understand you and stay together no matter what." She sighed. "Inuyasha seems to be able to see this since he took the initiative."

"Fine. But, what about Ayumi?" I kept making up excuses almost unconsciously since, as Sango had said, I cared about other people more than myself.

"Talk to her first. Tell her about your feelings and how you do want her to get hurt. If she's really your friend, she'll want you to be happy. And if she doesn't agree, well, she hasn't been very nice to you lately…"

"That doesn't sound like you. You hate confrontation."

"But I love you more than I hate confrontation, Kagome. I want you to be happy, even if that involves Ayumi hating both of us. She should have been a better friend to you, especially since often you have allowed her to step over you and outshine you just so that she could be happy. And how has she repaid you? Talking behind your back the moment someone took interest in you rather than her."

"Sango…"

"You know it's true. You know you deserve it. Go for it."

I was silent for a minute, analyzing everything I had felt and thought about since I met Inuyasha, and everything I had talked about with Sango. In a second I came up with more excuses in my head.

However, deep inside I knew that, no matter how much longer I postponed this conversation, I had already known for a while what I wanted, what I was going to do; I knew that was going to give in to my desires.

"I will." I said as I smiled to myself.


	12. Friends Are Often Complicated

**I know what is going to happen in the story in the near future, so I will be adding new chapters more often.**

**Enjoy!**

"Crap, I'm so late!" I yelled, running as fast as I could through the streets of Tokyo.

I finished talking to Sango ten minutes after the time that I should have left for school, AND I still hadn't gotten dressed by then. It was warm outside, so I quickly put on a white spider tank top, short jean shorts, my light-blue all star shoes and, to somewhat avoid looking like I had gotten dressed in five minutes, I put on my favorite light blue, silk handkerchief as a headband. Then, I grabbed my bag pack and ran downstairs. By the time I finally left the house, school had started about fifteen minutes ago, and it was going to take me at least another five minutes to get there.

"I haven't been late in the last three years. Even when I was feeling sick I was there 1o minutes before class. And now, I'll be twenty minutes late because of a boy—ahh!"

All of a sudden I crashed against something relatively hard, and immediately after found myself on the ground.

"Ouch…"

"Are you ok?"

"What?" I looked up at the cause of my fall.

It was a boy. He looked a bit older than me, and I figured that he was most likely nineteen. He had short, light brown hair, and brown eyes. He was wearing a PE uniform that included a pair of dark blue shorts and a white wife beater with a logo over the right pectoral. The outfit allowed me to appreciate that his figure was quite similar to Inuyasha's (though Inuyasha was a bit more fit), which suggested that he probably played some type of sport. Unfortunately, I could not make out which school he went to from the logo. The only thing I could tell was that, due to his age, it was probably a university logo. He was a college boy… a handsome college boy.

"Are you ok? Did you get hurt?" He asked again.

"I'm fine." I lied. My butt was in pain and I had scratched my left knee because I was wearing short shorts. The only thing to be thankful for was that I wasn't wearing a skirt today.

"No, you're not. Your knee is bleeding a little." Damn, he noticed.

"As you just said it is only bleeding a little." I got up and he tried to help. "Don't worry about it, I'm ok." I smiled at him.

"Here, I have a band aid." He got a band aid out of his shorts pocket and then bent down to place it on my knee.

"That won't be necessary." I said as I backed away.

"It's the least I can do after crashing against you. C'mon, it will be a minute."

He moved towards me and I flushed as I felt his left hand lightly touch the back of my knee to hold it in place while he put the band aid on.

"There, all better." He looked up at me and smiled. However, he seemed to have forgotten that his hand was still touching my leg.

"You know… I usually go out with a guy at least three times before I let him rest his hand on my leg."

Now it was his turn to flush. He looked down at his hand and immediately removed it. Then he stood up and looked at me apologetically as he fidgeted.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do that. I just needed to hold your leg still, and then I kept my hand there to raise the leg so that you would be able to see whether you were fine with what I had done." He flushed harder.

I had to admit that, even though his personality did not fit his physical appearance at all, he was cute enough in both senses so that this oddity didn't matter.

"It's ok." I smiled once again. "Thanks for the band aid."

"You are very welcome."

I got my bag pack from the ground and started walking away, but he grabbed my hand and stopped me in my tracks. I turned toward him. 'He really does not care for other people's personal space.'

"I'm sorry to stop you, _again_, but… I would really like to know your name."

"W-why?" I took my hand away from his. I was crept out. I mean, we had just met!

"Well, I... I would love to see you again."

"Why?" I asked again, even more crept out than before.

"Don't take this the wrong way but… I think you are the prettiest girl I have ever seen." He was now blushing even harder than he had before. I was too. "I'm also quite good at reading people, you know? And I strongly believe that you are a good and intelligent person as well."

I was deeply flattered by this. I mean, how many guys say this kind of thing anyway? It also wasn't creepy at all. He looked so nervous and sincere—a_nd_ cute. Therefore, in the end, I couldn't help but telling him my name. Of course he was still a stranger, so I wouldn't just let him know who I was. I wanted to let him know first that I would be in charge.

"I will tell you my name if you tell me yours first."

"Of course! I'm Hojo, nice to meet you." He smiled.

"Kagome" I smiled too.

"So, what school do you go to?" He pointed at my bag and at the math book which was sticking out of it because I had packed everything in a hurry. Then, it hit me. '_School_!'

"I'm late!" I had completely forgotten about it when he insisted on curing me. I turned around and started running once again.

"Kagome, wait!"

"Bye!" I said without turning back. I felt bad about leaving like that but I was going to be another ten minutes late.

I finally arrived to school more than half an hour after class had started. '_I hate being late. Everyone will be looking at me, and then someone will come up with some obnoxious gossip about me being late because I was having sex with a married man or something._' These weren't just my inventive thoughts. This is actually what happened to a girl in my class who happened to be an hour late, and her ex-bffs took the chance to mortify her for a month. There was actually an investigation that went on. Big drama. Anyway…

I ran through the school yard and up the stairs as fast as I could. Once I reached the classroom I stopped and regained my breath.

"Ok, here we go." I mumbled to myself.

I knocked twice and opened the door. As I had expected, everyone was looking at me. They seemed to be working on something individually, so at least I hadn't interrupted a lesson.

"Excuse me…"

"Ah, Kagome there you are. Come get this work sheet and begin working on it. It is due by the end of the class, so you better do it fast."

"Yes sir." I immediately did as I was told. Thankfully, I was one of his best students, so he did not feel the need to ask me why I was late.

Once I arrived at my desk I looked right at where Sango was sitting, and saw that she had a questioning look on her face. At the same time, I could feel Inuyasha's eyes on me as he sat to my left.

I instantly began working on the worksheet that we had been given, since it was extremely long, but soon after a crumpled piece of paper fell on my desk. I opened it.

"_What happened to you? I figured we would run into each other on the way to school, but then you were ten minutes later than you should have."_

I wrote back.

"_I was delayed on my way here. I will tell you about it later."_

I passed it and started doing my work again. However, Sango wasn't yet satisfied, thus another piece of paper soon arrived.

"_You know he will let us finish it at home. He always does. C'mon I'm bored! Tell me something!"_

I sighed; she was right. Furthermore, even if I worked my ass off there wasn't nearly enough time for me to finish everything before the end of class anyway.

"_Fine. What do you want?"_ I replied.

"_What delayed you?"_

"_I crashed against a guy on my way here. Then he insisted on curing my knee." _She looked at my leg when she read this part.

"_Ouch."_

"_I've had worse."_

"_So, who's the guy? Did you talk to him much?"_

"_Not really. We just apologized and such formalities."_

"_Do you even know his name?"_

I sighed again.

"_Hojo. He's a college student."_

"_I thought you didn't chat."_

"_I just think that he's a college student. And I found out the name because he asked for mine when I was leaving."_

"_You are driving everyone crazy lately, huh?"_

"_I blame male hormones."_

" _By the way, the hormones to your left haven't taken their eyes of off you this whole time..."_

I made an attempt to look at him, but half way there I stopped and looked down once again.

"_I don't think I can look at him. I'm too embarrassed. I'm afraid he will figure out what I'm thinking."_

"_He would be happy to know that you like him back."_

"_It's still embarrassing."_

"_I'm sure. But, you know, he's probably going to ask you why you were late when class is over. You will have to face him."_

"_Yes. But I still need to talk to Ayumi before I tell him, and hopefully before he figures out my feelings or tries to ask me out (if you are right and he's interested)."_

"_You should do it today (and I thought we had already agreed on that issue), because I don't think he'll wait much longer to make another move, considering how he's been looking at you (all of you!)."_

"_He's still looking at me? And what do you mean by 'all of me'?"_

"_He looks every three or four seconds on average. And I meant that he checked you out just before you sat down at your desk. It was pretty obvious. You look good today, sweetie, especially the sexy hair. :-P"_

I touched my hair after I read this, and noticed that my handkerchief was gone. Because of that, plus the running I did, my hair was a bit on the wild side, which is what I had tried to avoid when I put on the handkerchief in the first place.

"Darn it!" I whispered.

"What's wrong?" I heard coming from my left.

I looked toward him. He looked cuter than ever, wearing a pair of light brown cotton pants, a white t-shirt, and a pair of brown leather sandals.

"I… lost my handkerchief on the way here." I whispered. I tried very hard to control my blushing as he looked at my eyes directly, with a somewhat worried expression on his face.

"That's not good." He whispered back, a smile now on his face.

"Yeah…" I smiled back.

I don't know how long we were smiling at each other, but I quickly looked away and toward the teacher when he startled me by shouting, "Ok everyone! Those who are not done should take the worksheet home and finish it by tomorrow morning. Have a good day!"

As I looked forward, and once the teacher was done speaking, I was able to see Ayumi leave the classroom abnormally fast. In fact, Yuka and Eri were staring after her, looking confused.

"Oh no..." I got up. "Sango, tell the teacher I'm not feeling well if I'm not back by the beginning of next period." Then I quickly followed Ayumi out of the classroom. We had free period, but it was still supervised and our presence accounted for.

From the door I was able to see Ayumi turn left into a room at the end of the hall, which I knew well to be the girls' restroom. I followed and, once I got there, I went inside with a slight knot in my stomach.

"Ayumi?" I could hear sniffles coming from within one of the stalls.

"_Great…"_ I thought. I followed the sniffles and knocked on the door of the one I figured she was in.

"Ayumi? Are you ok?"

"What the hell do you think?" She shouted.

"Why… are you crying?" I knew the answer, but I didn't know what else to say.

I heard her get up and then she roughly opened the door. Her face was puffy and red, and her eyes teary.

"Don't you dare act all innocent! You were flirting with him, right in front of everyone! Right in front of me! We just broke up yesterday and you didn't wait even one day to make a move on him!"

"I wasn't flirti—"

"I knew you liked him from the beginning! It was so obvious! You always wanted him! And I told myself that you wouldn't do that because you were my friend! How could I have been so STUPID!"

"Ayumi, I—"

"You just couldn't let me shine for once!"

"What?"

"You always take everything away from me! Attention, recognition, Koga, Inuyasha, respe—"

"Wait. Koga?"

"Yes Koga. I liked him, but you still went out with him!"

"I didn't know! And, how would I? You, Yuka and Eri were the ones who pushed me to go out with him! I didn't even want to!"

"Of course you didn't know. You have never really been a true friend! If you had been, you would have noticed!"

"Well, even though I'm one, I have always found it stupid how often girls just ASSUME that someone should just know something. And I especially find it stupid how they keep doing it and don't realize that these assumptions only lead to trouble!"

"Slut!"

"Explain, please, how I'm a slut. Because I don't think I have done anything to be labeled one."

"Bitch!"

"This damn conversation is going nowhere, do you realize? Ugh, you can be such a child…" I covered my face with my hands in frustration.

I had planned on being nice and understanding. I had even thought of letting her call me idiot once or twice if necessary, but this conversation had gone beyond awry. I completely hated meaningless conversations with no rational goal whatsoever. And it made it even worse that I was being cruelly insulted when I had done nothing to deserve it.

"I love him, you know."

I looked up. Her hands were forming fists and she was looking down. Her face was still red and I could see tears rolling down her face.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am!" She snapped. "But he likes you. I could tell…" The last two sentences she said in a barely audible whisper. "And you like him too. Don't you dare deny it."

She then looked up at me.

"You can do whatever you want with him. But don't expect me to be your friend or to talk to you ever again."

After she said this she got her bag pack and left the restroom, leaving me standing there, a tear rolling down my own face.

"I knew it couldn't be…"

**Reviews make me happy! They also motivate me to go on!**


	13. It's Decided!

**Chapter 13**

I spent five more minutes in the girls' restroom after Ayumi left, trying to erase the evidence of my crying. Then, I went back to class. I left sooner than I would have wanted, but it wasn't a good idea for me to be overly late to class _again_.

When I got to the classroom door I stopped and looked for Ayumi. She wasn't there. I also noticed that Inuyasha wasn't sitting at his desk, but he was over at Miroku's, talking amiably.

"Kagome, where were you? You've been gone for fifteen minutes." Sango asked when I got back to my desk.

"Restroom" I said plainly.

"Are you ok? Have you been crying?" She whispered as she leaned in closer to me.

"No, I'm fine." I tried to smile, even though I knew that I wouldn't be able to fool her.

"Ok…" She leaned back to her original posture but, as I had expected, she didn't sound or look at all convinced.

I sighed and began working on my worksheet, hoping to isolate myself from everyone for a little while.

I spent the rest of the morning avoiding everyone except for Sango. She knew that something was bothering me, but decided not to force me to tell her. It wasn't until lunch I finally opened up to her. We talked in the courtyard, hidden from most people's view. She was unusually mad after finding out what happened.

"I can't believe her!"

"She had the right to be mad."

"You haven't done anything wrong!"

"I know… but I've still hurt her."

"She's hurt you too. I mean, she messed up your friendship with Koga by forcing you to date him. And now she even dares blaming you for complying!"

"I know." I sighed. "In any case I don't think that argument could have ever been avoided. Romances and friendships are bound to clash at one point or another. I'm just glad that part is over."

"Yeah, I guess it might have been a good thing." Sango paused to take a long gulp of orange juice, then continued. "Maybe now that Ayumi has let out some steam, starting a relationship with Inuyasha won't be such a bumpy ride." She took another gulp. "By the way, when are you going to talk to him?"

"I think I am going to wait a bit before trying anything. Wait for the storm to pass, you know?"

"I guess you have a point. But, are you truly sure this is for the best? He has a lot of fans easily available to him." Sango smirked.

"Hey! Don't you try to confuse me now that I have accepted this entire situation, missy! You said he likes me and only me, right?" I pointed a finger at her.

"Of course; I just wanted to see you suffer boy-related jealousy for the first time in your life." She giggled. "You look so cute all blushed and upset!"

"Why do I even keep you as a friend? You're mean."

"You love me too much. You won't ever be able to get rid of me." She smiled.

"Humph! Damn feelings. Make me weak." I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. I could feel my face still a bit flushed. I could hear Sango giggle lightly.

"What are you two doing hiding over here?"

We quickly looked behind us, startled by the sudden interruption. I felt my insides beginning to boil as I saw Koga standing there. He was smiling awkwardly, one hand scratching the back of his head.

"Hi Koga" Sango said; then she looked at me. She could obviously feel the tension rising.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I asked irritably. I could feel myself blushing, again, this time due to both anger and embarrassment, as I remembered the events that took place at the prom.

"Well… I was on my way to the gym when I saw you guys sitting over at this corner… Then I just thought that it would be nice to come over and say hi. So… hi!" Koga said very nervously.

"Let's go Sango." I said as I stood up.

I swiftly picked up my things, let Sango enough time pick up hers, and then grabbed her arm and pulled us away from Koga, who didn't even try to stop us.

"I guess your feelings can also make you tough, huh?" Sango said. I just kept walking in silence, so she continued. "I feel bad for Koga. He looked so sad…"

"Wha—?" I stopped walking and turned to face her. "Are you serious? He lied to me so that he could get close to me and kiss me! He _should_ be feeling like crap!"

"He's in love with you, Kagome. And I'm pretty sure he can tell that you and Inuyasha are interested in each other. It must be breaking him."

"Maybe. But I'm still not going to forgive him anytime soon!"

"That's fair." She paused as we went into the girls' restroom. Then, after making sure nobody else was in there, she continued. "So, how long are you going to wait before you make a move on Inuyasha?"

"I was thinking a month at least."

"A month?"

"Yeah. I think Ayumi will be better by then. Or do you think it should be longer?"

"I think it should be _two weeks_ tops! No wait, actually, I think you should be able to do it now! Sweetie, I just went along with your waiting-plan because I know how stubborn you are."

"Sango this isn't like you. You are always wary and all about doing things slow and carefully."

"Yes, and it has gotten me nowhere with the man I love."

"The man you… love?" I looked at her completely surprised. She was looking down and fidgeting. "I know you've liked him for a long time, but you never mentioned love before."

"As you just insinuated, I do things only after long and careful planning."

"How long—"

A couple of girls whom I knew to be from class 2A came into the restroom at that instant. They immediately went to fix their make-up in front of the mirror, completely ignoring Sango and me.

"Did you hear they broke up?"

"Yeah, I heard it was Inuyasha who did it."

We froze for a second, but tried to act nonchalantly nonetheless.

"Poor Ayumi," one sighed "she must feel so embarrassed. I mean, being dumped by an average boy is bad, but being dumped by someone as hot as Inuyasha must make you feel horrible about yourself."

"So true." The other one said.

"The good thing is that now Inuyasha is available, and I think I might pay him a visit before he goes home today." She smirked and then unbuttoned the top of her blouse and fixed her bra so that she showed **a lot** more cleavage.

"It should be easy enough for you to get him, Shinju. You already have all the boys in our class crazy."

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help overhearing." I went over and leaned over the sink to Shinju's right. "Are you talking about Inuyasha from class 3B?"

"Is there another?" Shinju asked sarcastically and with a nasty look on her face. I gave her a fake smile and laugh.

"Haha… Yeah… Well, I just thought you should know that he does not date younger girls, so you should not take it personally when he rejects you."

"Huh! Look. First of all, no boy has **ever** rejected me. Ok? And second of all, who the hell do you think you are, Higurashi?" She put her hands on her hips.

"So, you know me?"

"Everyone in this damn school knows you. You are Kagome Higurashi, from class 3B. You are an A student, and you are among the popular girls in your grade. As such, last year you went out with one of the most wanted guys, Koga Akiyama. It seems ridiculous now, but back then all I wanted was to be like you… up to the point when you dumped Koga, of course. That was when I realized that I needed to do things my way if I wanted to get to the top. And it worked great." She smirked.

"Yeah, you are definitely quite popular now. By the way, how is the entire male soccer team doing?

"Some better than others." Shinju smirked at her friend, who nudged her on the arm. I looked at Sango with an I-can't-believe-her expression on my face, and she just looked down and covered her eyes with her hand, feeling embarrassed for Shinju.

"Look Kagome," she continued "you might be one of the prettiest and smartest girls at this school, but most of all you are a downright prude."

"Excuse me?" I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. She was starting to piss me off now!

"You heard me smartass. You had the chance to nail _the_ Koga and didn't. And the same goes for most boys at this school. So, you really are _nobody_ to give me advice on who I should or should not seduce."

"Oh you're right…"

"Of course I am."

"Yeah… I'm _just_ the girl who is living with Inuyasha."

I couldn't help but smirk at both their expressions.

"You're lying, bitch."

"Well, didn't you wanna go talk to him? Ask him yourself then." I winked at her and stood up straight. "Let's go Sango, they still have another ton of make-up to put on before next period." Then I just walked out the door with Sango right behind me.

"Oh my God! Did you see her face? It was priceless!"

"She had it coming. She has been mean to so many people. I included." Sango said. She hated the idea of vengeance, but she couldn't completely hide the faint smile adorning her face.

"She sure did. '_You are a prude. You are __**nobody**_'." I mimicked. "Well, at least I am not a slut with no self-respect whatsoever."

"Kagome."

"I hate being mean, but that girl is such as bitch."

Ka-go-me."

"Insulting now, are we?" A voice I knew well said.

I looked up. We were already in front of the classroom entrance, but a certain someone was blocking our path.

"Ayumi… hi. I wasn't talking about you!"

"Sure. Sango can I borrow your notes from math class? I missed the last part."

She did not look at me at me once.

"Yeah… I will give them to you in a sec."

"Thanks."

Then Ayumi just turned around and walked into the classroom, but not before giving me a look that, if looks could kill, I would have been dead right then and there.

"That's what I was trying to tell you. I saw her leaning against the door."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get these _two weeks_ over with. Then, _**we**_'ll get our men."

Sango smiled, blushed… and finally nodded.


End file.
